A Powerful Enough Dream
by mimiplaysgames
Summary: Aqua is finally free. But the shadows are damned if they will let her go that easily. They follow her out, waiting to see just how far she's willing to go to get her family back. Sequel to "Strength to Protect the Things That Matter."
1. Chapter 1: Light

**_A/N: If you are returning reader, welcome back! If you are new, then welcome! This is a sequel, but I will write it so that you don't have to read the first story to enjoy it. But there are a two (2) things you will have to know going in: 1) This is very much an AU. Here, Terra and Master Xehanort still share a body, and 2) I used the rules of how the Realm of Darkness functions before KH3 retconned it... again. Joy! And being such an AU, there are certain unorthodox choices I have made. Why? Because I. Will. Not. Stand. For. Aqua. Being. Treated. This. Way. How she never interacts with Xehanort at all in BBS? How villains treat her like she's unimportant and doesn't exist? No thank you. She is a brilliant character and should be explored deeply as well (and she should, with all that trauma). That being said, YES I will address Anti-Aqua and the Guardian - but in my own time and way. Think of it as an AU where Terra is the one she meets instead of Ansem SOD._**

* * *

The Realm of Darkness likes to choose her adventures for her. She'll try to keep track of where she's wandering, and take back what little agency she has. But it still gradually changes environment without her knowing it, even when she pays attention. It's as if the Realm nicks away at her memory.

There isn't any record, then, of how she finds herself wandering down a dark, endless hallway from a world she's never visited. Led by a red rug that stretches and disappears into a void, Aqua continues to walk, only able to see directly in front of her. The carpet leads to more carpet, though there is a peculiar amount of furniture in odd places: a couch in the middle of her way, a chair facing the wall, and three tables stacked on top of each other.

Every once in a while, she'll pass by a unit that has been ripped apart, cotton pouring out of the cushions like it's been ravaged by a beast in a fit of rage.

It's characteristic, but that's exactly what the Realm likes to be.

What she chooses to ignore this time is the suspicion that she's being watched - she passes by displays of full sets of armor, and the metal creaks and snaps behind her like they are turning their heads to peer at her footsteps.

The walls are adorned with sculptures of weeping gargoyles, who brandish weapons anyway as if they exist purely to be on the defense. There's a scent in the air, an aura – something angry exists, or used to exist, in this world. And that pain lies within these statues. She swears that sometimes she'll hear them gasp. The sound of a throat swallowing to her left. A sigh to her right. Scratching, like a chalk writing on a board, surrounding her.

It's why she doesn't touch them – she knows better by now than to play these games. Though the stalking doesn't stop. It's like there is a _something_ staying close by her.

The carpet finally stops at the foot of two doors, and it's a blessing. Doors in a place like this always take her to _somewhere_ else.

A loud thud from behind her, like a metal object has been dropped.

She whips around to see a (new) table in the middle of hallway, a lit golden candelabra placed atop it. She is right – the armored statues have all turned their heads, staring her down with their spears in their hands like they'll surely ready for a war.

There is a moan and a grumble, like the _something_ believes she is trespassing, and she outstretches her fingers to prepare for the split-second she will need to summon her Keyblade.

The hallway she has already traversed comes from nothingness, but if she takes the candelabra, she can see what is waiting for her to discover it.

This is the Realm's doing, always trying to initiate the one moment where she will finally stumble.

But failure isn't an option. Not here. Not this minute or the next second. Not ever.

The hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Call it instinct. Whatever is there is outlasting its patience, but it still waits for her to make the first move.

The Realm has played many games on her, and this one is weak.

She has survived this long (however long that is) because she chose her battles. Keeping her head high, she throws the doors open, not caring how disappointed the Realm or this monster might be.

A library awaits her on the other side, and it's massive. Fit for a princess, this would put the library back home to shame. Three stories tall with several extravagant spiral staircases, it must have been a beautiful sight in its prime. Gold embellishments line the walls, and emerald-colored draperies hang over the windows. But it's all dull, now. The curtains are ripped at the ends, and the gold is faded.

It's much quieter here. Through the window panes, she sees a dense forest that reach beyond the horizon. This castle, in its original world, used to be very isolated.

And it's snowing. Aqua flattens her palms against the glass.

She just wants to feel the cold, but the Realm won't let her. Like everything else, physical or emotional, it's numbed out. What she has left is a memory, a faint coolness that is mostly a figment of her imagination made real.

The snow is gray, like falling ash. It lands on the gargoyles that sit on the balconies outside the window, all contemplating their regrets. The clouds overhead (more like smoke) are dark and stormy. This world has only recently just fallen.

And she's stuck here, powerless to do anything about it.

Books here vary by color, all leather-bound with filigree engravings on their spines. None of them have titles. Maybe the Realm will give her a break and let her read something to pass the time.

Which is a silly idea, but a desperate Aqua at least needs something to do.

She thumbs through the pages of the first book she takes. All blank.

The second book she takes is blank, too.

Aqua doesn't know why she keeps trying. There must be at least something here – the other fallen worlds she's been through gave the Realm the means to tease her, after all.

The third book has one line in one page. _You want to read me._

Is that the best the Realm can come up with?

The fourth book: _Ven will continue to sleep forever._

It's like hearing fears from a different person: this invisible writer's validation of her biggest fear makes it more real that it will come true.

But she won't let Ventus sleep forever because she will not allow herself to fail.

Another one reads: _Have you ever considered yourself beautiful?  
_

She goes through book after book, each one carrying just one line.

_The stars won't shine tonight._

_I'm the same as them._

_Are you sure the Master was proud of you?_

_You weren't the favorite student, you know._

_I just haven't noticed it before._

_They flicker and they won't stop._

_What if I made you ugly?_

_You'll never hear music, again._

She doesn't bother to put them back into their shelf, and lets them fall open. She grabs one more, though she doesn't know why she's doing this to herself. Maybe it's because she needs to snap herself out of the hope she's delusional enough to keep.

Or good things will surely come if she holds on. Either way, there is a book with a message she hasn't read. So she opens it.

_Terra has better things to do with his time than to come find you._

The first thing that always comes to mind when she thinks of him are his eyes. Deep, like he has been swept away by the ocean and is still out there on a journey to find something profound. There isn't a time in her life she can think of when she has been alone and he hasn't found her.

When her parents died, a man with a nine-year-old boy with bushy, thick brown hair arrive to give her a new purpose.

When she failed an exam for the very first time – something she never considered was even possible – she ran off into the woods to be alone, only for that thirteen-year-old boy to follow.

When missions went awry and she's trapped somewhere with an injured leg, a nineteen-year-old man cracked jokes about her indomitable strength as he carried her home.

Terra was always the first to find her.

But now, he's not here. Where is he?

At first, there is a sickening churn in her stomach, like she's only realizing that the worst news is true. He's not here because he doesn't want to be. Or he never escaped from his fate, and she wasted her life over a sacrifice that did nothing.

Then it fades away, and it's relieving if she is to be honest, to have the Realm sometimes take her despair and make it disappear. Like a faithful friend, it spares her from many hours of crying.

And like a pest that clings too much, it makes sure to remind her that it will be there, wherever she goes.

She casts the book aside, throwing it as it falls on top of another, landing with blank pages facing upward. She fares better believing that Terra would spare the energy in finding her – after all, that's what she would do if he was left here. She silently wishes this world blessings as she walks away. Hopefully it will have better luck with going finding its way back to the light than she's had.

* * *

Whatever road she is on now goes on forever. The ground floats amidst empty space, the edges of the road teetering off into literal nothingness. She has experimented before and explored the road backwards, only to find that wherever she came from has gone missing. And many times, she cannot see where she's headed until she's already there.

Aqua stops in her tracks to take a break for a moment and stretch out her arms, listening to the quiet. There is really nothing for her to feel – no wind, no presence of another being here. She can take a look around, seeing if tonight will be one where she will be hunted relentlessly, but she knows they aren't coming. The Heartless only come when she's hopeful or looking for a way out.

Soon enough, she'll get back into that mood.

For now, she hums – she doesn't remember where the song comes from, but it's become the only one that will stay in her head. She's certain she's completely out of tune and gets some of the notes wrong. At least humming makes her seem less crazy than talking to herself.

The one thing she benefits from singing is coaxing herself to dance. To bend the spine forward and let her head hang until she comes back around to swipe her fingers in the air around her. To practice her pirouettes. Her sky kicks. Her leaps and backflips, and her deep lunges.

When she's had enough, she will brandish the Master's Defender and strike, keeping her form and technique in check. She slices it into the open air as she sings the melody at a faster tempo, throwing a spell here and there to measure how much of a sting she can deliver.

After this, she'll have to continue walking and repeat the process.

"Might I share this time with you, my friend?" says a deep voice, rumbling through her mind.

"Xemnas!" she nearly cries, her ease breathing out from deep within her chest. She relishes the feeling, before the Realm sips it dry. "Thank goodness, it's been so long."

"Indeed, it has."

A voice in her head for a friend. He has a special room to himself, one he discovered has a connection to her. She doesn't understand how it works, or where he truly is, but it doesn't matter. Time with him makes the Realm seem distant.

He likes to speak slowly, almost as if he tests whether the listener is attentive. Not the best company she can hope for, but it's endearing when he comes to check on her. His tenor is smooth and lulling - not that she can ever fall asleep since the Realm doesn't allow her to. It's just really a voice, but in a world of silence, this psychic link is the best gift she can have.

"Would that I be with you more often, and stay for longer," he says, and she can hear him sigh like he's settling himself down.

"Are you in trouble?" His latest visits have been sporadic, and he often has to cut them short.

He scoffs, and she realizes that she's never heard him laugh. "My affairs are dangerous."

… And then there is that roundabout way he speaks. He's forward with his work for as far as she can tell – a man burdened with the responsibility of chasing monsters who have corrupted people's hearts. From the sound of it, the worlds outside are in a terrible situation.

Especially for his sake, as a man without a heart. Off to find a solution to his unique problem, one that she doesn't know how to help him solve.

He is always very confident about his work, but… there is that nagging sensation he chooses his words far too carefully.

"I've kept myself safe here, so far," she says. "You have to promise me you'll do the same."

"A promise fit for someone uncertain of their fate."

"Your hubris will be the death of you, one day," she says, like a mother giving her child a reminder.

"And what of you? Is the night pleasant?"

"Well…" Her surroundings are bare, but what she's really surveying is the sky. It shifts for every area she trudges through, constantly warping the fabric of space and light with it. Every world that falls leaves behind stars, and the Realm will either swallow them, cut them up and piece them together incorrectly, or murk them.

This time, she sees just one spot where remnants of stars shine alongside huge swirls of debris in an otherwise black and purple sky. They are dim, but if she squints, she can see the sparkle.

"I see a couple of stars," she says, finding a boulder where she can sit comfortably. "They look so far away. I think they'll disappear soon, but they're beautiful in their own way."

It's her favorite part of his visits, being able to replicate star-gazing with a friend. And this the Realm can never take away from her.

"Would you be interested in a world where the night never retires?" he asks.

"It's always dark here. Why would I visit a place like that?"

"You'll have all the hours to gaze at the stars, so long as the storms rest." He pauses, his timing anticipating her reaction. "I will finally be able to join you."

"I have friends to find first, but if your world is on my way, I'll stop," she teases. She's glad that he gives her moments to daydream about life beyond darkness. "_Maybe_ I can help you get your heart back."

"Can I offer nothing to convince you further?"

"You'll need to have vanilla cake ready for me, with chocolate chips."

"I expected a more complex taste palette."

Aqua nearly laughs, but the feeling is gone as soon as it comes. "Well, how do you expect me not to indulge if I get out of this hellhole?"

She takes a moment to think. Something she truly wants…

"Xemnas, there is something that would mean the world to me if-"

"Ask, and I will grant it."

"The next time you're here to visit, can you please bring a radio with you?" she asks, unsure why she's so apprehensive about it. Perhaps because asking for joy is risky. With the wrong mindset, it's a trap set to remind her of her devastating reality. "Maybe if you listen to it, I'll hear it too. I want to dance to music again."

"I shall. You have my word."

This is enough to get her by. The promise of music, like a light leading her through a murky lagoon, gives her a pep in her step as she continues to wander through the Realm. She dares not lose to the swarm of monsters stalking her, because she needs to hear that music. Just one song, is all she asks. And she'll hum it to herself for the rest of time until she is freed.

But he never comes. It's a slow realization, as she tells herself he must be busy, or maybe his next mission is a ferocious one. But for each reason she gives herself, her heart sinks.

It hits her when she's lying on a patch of grass. There aren't any stars in the sky here for her to watch. She nearly starts to hum to herself, when she suddenly realizes that it isn't fair to do this by herself.

Maybe he also doesn't want to find her.

Maybe his dangerous job has finally caught up with him, and she'll never hear from him again…

She would cry, but there is only a faint trace of disappointment.

"None of it was real," she says to the environment around her. "You made him up, haven't you? It's not enough to kick me when I'm down, why do you have to give me false promises-"

A sob nearly escapes her throat, but like a sneeze that won't escape, it stays trapped until she has no choice but to swallow it.

The Realm won't allow her to grieve the loss, and she starts begging it to make him up again, just so she has someone to talk to. She promises she won't care if he isn't real.

* * *

In a time beyond Mickey's promise to come back to her, after she finds a beach where the moon shines upon black waters and she meets an older man named Ansem, Aqua fiddles with sand. She builds a cone with it, only to strike the top of it with a flick of her fingers. She watches the grains burst out and fall back onto the beach.

The soreness in her body is faint, but it's there.

With a deep breath, she stands up, reaching her arms to the sky before swiping down to brush her fingers against the ground as she encourages movement in her spine.

"Restless again?" Ansem asks, who is more than happy to sit idly.

She kicks back her shin, grabbing it with both hands as she slowly lifts her ankle above her head, feeling that stretch start on her abdomen and go through to her thigh.

"Waiting is a tough job," she says. Letting go of her leg, she swings her arms back and forth, barely humming some broken melody to herself as she starts to pivot on her feet.

She isn't particularly inspired to dance right now. Mickey isn't going to come find her.

Aqua pushes these thoughts out of her mind, and figures that it's better to stay busy.

"Will you take one of your walks?" He sounds amused at least, and she promises to herself she will not turn into an old lady who sits in a rocking chair for the end of her life.

They have promised each other that they'll stay for someone to come find them, in a space between light and dark. Though how Ansem doesn't go mad with boredom, she doesn't know. He is also a companion she would never have chosen in any normal circumstances. He carries a heavy weight of remorse in his heart, and conversations with him are usually depressing.

Aqua already has too many regrets, and she's too young for that. Not the least of which is losing the chance at telling Terra everything she thinks of him: that he's generous and kind. Trustworthy and safe. Beautiful.

Mickey has said to her that it's been a decade. And her feelings have stayed as frozen as the time that refuses to age her. Though if it's been that long, whatever her heart wants doesn't really matter anymore. He may be grown up, finding himself a different family.

"It's much healthier for you if you move," she says, coming closer to the old man with an arm stretched out. Eraqus has managed to live as long being so active, after all.

"And what if someone comes?"

She sighs, wishing he would take better care of himself. "Then you'll wait for me."

"It's much safer if you stay here. What of the Heartless waiting for you beyond these shores?"

"I am a force to be reckoned with," she says, giving him a smile that feels like nothing.

He huffs with disapproval. "Be safe."

She would prefer to have someone to talk to, but protecting a man who is completely defenseless is probably a worse idea anyway.

The beach makes way into rocky terrain, leading uphill until she shuffles through wheat stalk that are almost as tall as her. On a pathway that juts through the slough, she finds herself a dirt road, where she can see the beach from far away downhill, and enormous towers with no power lines abandoned in the fields beyond. Just like she is.

The wind blows the wheat here, but it offers no cooling relief nor does it tickle her skin. It just is.

It's true there are Heartless here, who will watch her from underneath the ground until they feel compelled enough to show themselves. They're mostly unremarkable compared to the horrors she's already been through.

But tonight is different.

Heavy stomps head for her direction, repeating quickly and with a vibration like a clank of metal. It's sprinting towards her.

Her heart jumps at the sound, and she steps backward as she summons her Keyblade, holding it out in front of her as she plays through various tactics in her mind. With the speed it's going, she will not be the first to attack.

A man in a full suit of armor comes running straight at her, and in his abrupt stop he skids and flails his arms around. They stare, and her chest could burst with how shocking it is to see.

This armor.

"Aqua…" a voice underneath the armor says. His voice. She's heard it before, when he was a figment of her imagination and he acted delirious. She watched him disappear into chains, just like everything else in this accursed place.

It can't be real. She lowers her Keyblade by merely an inch, refusing to let her guard be down for an attack. "Terra?"

"Aqua, it's really me." His armor erupts in orbs of light, and underneath is him.

The thing about false hope is that the fool can only be tricked so many times. When it's finally time to face the truth, how else will the fool react except to protect what little dignity it has left?

If this isn't real, she will scream. She marches up to him and snatches his hand in both of hers –

To feel the flesh under her fingers. It is warm and clammy.

His expression, almost exactly what he looked like when they met in the Keyblade Graveyard all those years ago. Tired. And the saddest she has ever seen him.

His eyes are weary, but they are that same shade of blue, like the bottom of a wave. His hair is damp and stuck to his forehead and his strong jawline drips of sweat, the muscles on his neck tight with anxiety like he's unsure what she's going to do.

He hasn't aged at all. "It's really you…" she croaks.

Throwing herself onto him, she finds the space in between his shoulder and his neck, letting her face nestle into the folds of his shirt, dampening her face in his sweat. This is the first scent she is experiencing in more than ten years. He's warm, and she's surrounded in it like he's a blanket that protects her from the numbness. He runs his hands along her back, brings his fingers through her hair, and she can feel every inch of it enough to make her want to wish this can be the last feeling she will ever experience – just so she won't have to exist again without it.

It takes her back to a day when a blizzard drowned the Land of Departure in bright snow. Despite that the sun was shining, she couldn't keep herself comfortable. Except when he wrapped his arms around her, and she wished she could find excuses to be this close to him again. Like being home.

Since home is unattainable, Terra offers something more: a refuge.

"You found me," she weeps, and her eyes burn. _Burn_. Like they haven't in a decade, and she lets the tears fall as they rub off on his shirt. The relief burns her chest. It burns through her stomach, years of all the pain that couldn't leave her body, and in this safe haven within his arms, away from the Realm's grip, she can finally cry.

"I'm-" he chokes. She feels his tears fall onto her forehead, and they're cool. "I'm sorry it took so long to come see you," he says, like a child ashamed of never visiting an older relative. The truth must be too hard for him to bear as well.

"I don't have an excuse," he continues in between sobs. "I should've done something sooner. I should've-" He stops again, and she can feel how frightened he is through the way his chest expands, like he's about to leap off a cliff. "Please don't hate me."

She smiles, and raises her head to feel his neck on her cheek. Sweet Terra.

Caressing the back of his head to comfort him, she says, "I'm so glad you're here." It's surprising how much calmer she is, but it isn't numbness. "It's been so hard. I've missed you so much, Terra."

He shakes in her arms, like he's been needing to hear that for years. "I've missed you, too, you have no idea how badly."

She squeezes him tighter, and nearly asks him to say it again. "I thought no one wanted to come find me."

Terra stirs. He gently pulls away from her embrace. Thankfully, he stays close. If she lets go, she's certain – _certain_ – he will disappear. She keeps a tight grip on one forearm, and the other on his chest.

"You don't sound like yourself," he says, studying her eyes like he's making sure she isn't sick.

"I'm sorry… It's this place-"

He wipes tears off her face, and she nuzzles into his palm, needing to hug him again. She doesn't want to forget what it feels like.

"It gets to you." Like he understands what kinds of adventures lie in a place like this. And now he's trapped here to suffer along with her. A part of her aches at this, she'd never wish this punishment on him. And at the same time, she's not alone now.

Is she a horrible person for thinking this way?

"I'm sorry you're now stuck with me in the darkness," she says, wishing she is smart enough to have left this place on her own so he wouldn't have to come here.

"As if being stuck with you is such a bad thing," he scoffs. That humor. She has forgotten what it's like to laugh, and to smile at this, in his arms where the Realm cannot touch her, is a moment worth having. Maybe they can keep each other protected for the rest of time.

He smirks at her, like he has a special secret. "Either way, I opened a Door to Light. I'm getting you out."

_A what?_

Terra chuckles, his toothy grin widening more and more as she tries to understand. "It's true," he says, eagerly waiting for her to smile back. "You're leaving this place."

"Now?"

"Yes." Confidently. With a nod to seal the deal.

"And we'll find Ven?"

He grabs her arms, like he's trying to get her to realize that she's walking free. With him. Finally. And they'll be a family again.

"Definitely. But first we have to get you out of here. We can talk about everything later."

There is a fluttering in her chest, her heart pounding like it's egging her to take leaps. Excitement, and she nearly doesn't recognize it. "Lead the way."

They won't be able to embrace while they're traveling, but clasping her hand around his is good enough. They'll stay connected in a world that will work to split them up.

"Do you know how we'll get out?" she asks.

He turns to face her, like none of the rocks they're treading over can trip him. "I have friends waiting for us. We'll be okay. I'm thinking I'll just conjure a door from within, out of the darkness around us. It's how I got in, anyway."

None of that makes sense, but it's fine. As long as she's free. "I have a friend waiting for me at the beach. I told him I wouldn't take long."

"We'll bring him with us."

The wheat stalks shrink in size as they jog downhill together, the size of the moon growing larger the closer they arrive.

And the happy feeling shuts down. Not a gradual fade like it usually does, but it pauses abruptly, and she feels thousands of eyes on her.

If she listens quietly, she'll hear the Realm whisper that it won't let her go.

The warmth he left on her is the first to go numb, until her heart shivers on the inside. She knows what's coming before it even arrives. She stops, pulling him back into a halt. "Terra, wait."

"What is it?"

There it is, a deep rumble that shakes the small rocks at first until the entire ground quivers hard enough to make them unstable. And like a tidal wave coming to engulf them, the Heartless swarm bursts out of the ground, shaped like a slithering tower of pests. But it's the most familiar force here, following her around like it needs her to stay.

Of course the Realm is going to try to take him away from her.

Terra has never seen this before, throwing his arms around her while his mouth hangs agape. "Aqua," he warns, and she feels him pulling her back like he wants to run.

"We have to."

Pushing through his embrace, she summons her Keyblade and starts throwing magical shots of ice toward the swarm. This fight is dangerous, and if they lose all their advantages, pain will be the least of their problems.

So she evades, like she does each and every single time she has run into this thing. Casting highways of ice to slide across to get herself up into the air, she throws herself to land quick, simple strikes, slicing away like it's meat. It's not the most straightforward method, but it keeps her safe. When she conserves the energy to do so, she will spin, using her Keyblade to swallow the air around her and crystalize it so it creates a more hostile environment for the Heartless.

Terra has a much harder time, learning how to fight this for the first time and being grounded as he is.

What she doesn't expect is that he has learned some spectacular new methods.

Like a combustible bomb system, he conjures it with a gripped fist in the air as it builds and builds in size until the swarm runs itself through the giant fireball. And with a flick, he gets it to continually explode.

She's never seen magic like this.

And it's too distracting. The swarm circles around to ambush her in retaliation. Several claws from the Heartless that make up the storm rip at her all at once, pushing her downward until she hits the ground and rolls over, the Master's Defender falling off her hand and bouncing away.

It comes for her again.

She has half a mind to crawl to her Keyblade as fast as possible and conjure a Reflect shield around her, when Terra slides over in front of her and waves his hands in a swoop from the ground to the sky.

From that gesture, a straight energy shield grows – the strangest barrier she's ever seen.

Weirder still is that he is able to keep it erect, and the Heartless tide runs into and _gets_ _electrocuted_ from the impact. He struggles to keep it up as it continues to crash into it, and he nearly stumbles on himself. She hugs him from behind to keep him standing.

The Heartless tide, free from the electric barrier, circles back around when he's too tired of holding it up anymore. Now it goes for a direct attack on them.

Terra waves a hand at her to stay in place and he summons his Keyblade. Earthshaker – now so much larger in mass, or is she remembering it wrong? – expands and breaks into parts, realigning itself to create an entirely different shape. A huge canon now sits on his shoulder. Kneeling, Terra silently commands it to create a globe of light, building energy much like the way her pirouettes can do, until it bursts into a searing bolt of wrath – right into the swarm.

The swarm finally leaves them alone.

It would be a peaceful victory, but Terra collapses into his hands, whimpering as he grips his forehead and runs his fingers through his hair like he's about to rip it off.

"What's wrong?" She kneels by him, one hand caressing his shoulder while she inspects for any injuries he might have sustained.

He slowly whispers pep talks to himself, like he needs to give himself the will to go on. Once his breathing slows enough, he mumbles "just a headache." Which is a complete and total understatement. He continues, "I've been dealing with them for quite a while now. They get really bad here."

"We need to get you out of here," she says, realizing again that he is actually here. He is here, his pain is real, and she is feeling an instinct to protect. It's been so long since she felt this way.

"I'm okay, I just need to rest for a little," he grunts.

It doesn't look like rest will do him any good, but voicing her concerns won't do much except provoke him to insist he's fine. She reaches a hand to cup his face, and he nearly leans into it to kiss it. Stopping himself short, he takes her hand in his, and gazes into her eyes. There is something he wants to say, and in that moment, she knows what it will be about, but cannot feel it coming.

At least let her have one more hug so she can actually experience this in full, with the fluttering of the stomach and a heart that beats senseless that young lovers are supposed to have, according to the books she has read in her childhood. Or better yet, set her free so they can both share this together.

"There's so much I want to tell you," he says, licking his lips. It's almost funny: he's usually so brave in facing whatever scares him. "We have to talk. About what happened. About us…" His voice hitches with that one, which makes it nearly true. Maybe time hasn't moved for him either, and his feelings are just as frozen as hers. "About the Master."

The Master. They have never really spoken about his death and Terra's part in it. Just that he took the blame. Which is a hard one to have – there's so much she would have changed if she had the power to do so.

"I know," she says, calming herself. This is the worst place to do any of this. "But… I want to talk with a clean mind. Away from the darkness, you know? I don't want to spend another minute here. Please…"

He jumps a little. How quaint that he has forgotten where he is. "Of course, your freedom comes first."

Hearing him reassure her is almost like hearing it again for the first time. She may always be skeptical she will leave, until she sees the proof right in front of her.

She helps him up, getting his arm to drape around her shoulders while she acts as support.

"You're going to love Traverse Town," he says, resting his head on hers. Here she can see how blue his eyes really are. She allows herself to daydream of making a dress that color once she gets her hands on a sewing machine again.

She nudges him back. "Where?"

"I came from there." He smiles. Who knows if it's intuition when she imagines herself in his arms once they are free. "It's a beautiful city. The cuisine is delicious, and they have these colored lights that shine every night."

Yes, it sounds like the sort of place to have a romantic night. And she knows she's being very childish in letting herself get excited over the idea, but screw it. If it isn't the case, there's worse things.

Terra's steps sink in the sand when they reach the beach, so she lets him sit on the nearest boulder. It's hard to let go of him.

Like he's reading her mind, he squeezes her. "I'll be here. Don't worry."

Moving away from him, she tries her hardest to let her fingers linger for as long as possible on his, until they have no choice but to split. She hurries over the where Ansem is waiting for her, and the sight of him is like an alarm that is blaring in her mind – they are leaving. They are free.

She keeps looking back to Terra, sitting alone on that boulder as he catches his breath. Just to be sure.

Ansem, too, notices they have a visitor. "What's the special occasion?" he asks when he sees her grin.

"We're leaving," she whispers, as though she would yell it if she allowed her voice to make a sound. She checks to make sure Terra is still there. Good. "That's my friend. He'll get us out of here."

"You have some rather powerful friends."

She checks on Terra again. Still there.

"They're amazing friends, yes." And the statement nearly makes her choke. "Come on, I'll help you get up."

Is Terra still there? Yes.

Ansem grunts as starts to move. "Can you spare me the time to stand?" He chuckles. "My back isn't at its prime."

She allows him to lean on her, stealing glances toward Terra. When Ansem gains his footing, he takes slow steps like he has no time to lose. How the darkness doesn't drive him crazy, she's completely blown away by it.

But he stops, holding her back from getting closer to Terra.

"That man," his voice deepens, and he speaks it loud enough for all to hear. "We mustn't go with him."

"What, why?" The grip Ansem has on her is surprising, like he's trying to protect her. "Terra is my best friend. I grew up with him. If he says-"

"A clever trick to play on a vulnerable girl, Xehanort," Ansem says to Terra, his words rolling like he's suddenly gained the nerve to stand up for himself.

Terra shakes his head furiously, his eyes building tears at the statement. But he's disoriented when she straightens himself.

"I'm not Xehanort," he barks, but it sounds muffled, as though his tongue is incredibly swollen. Then he moans in pain and grabs his head again.

She rips herself from Ansem's hold and jolts over to her dear friend, holding his forearms as she watches for signs of harm. "Terra, tell me how I can help you."

He grabs her arms – so desperately that it accidentally hurts her. "I've left the door open for you," he says, his words so thick that they are barely understandable. "Don't give up. Keep going. We'll be together-"

He yells louder, one hand holding his forehead and the other gripped around his neck. Her cure spells cannot help such pain like this.

The worst comes. He digs his fingers into the roots of his hair, and they turn into a brilliant white.

He breathes loudly, gagging like he's trying to grasp for air. No, not air. He cannot speak anymore. He looks up to her, his eyes now a piercing gold.

But it's still him, his eyes soft and pleading. He's terrified of what is happening to him.

And she is, too. So much that she's speechless. She can't lose him again. Not here. Not like this.

Terra digs into the pocket of his pants and pulls something out which he then shoves into her palm. A star-shaped object. She hesitantly grabs hold of it when she realizes that he wants her to take it.

She nearly says something. But he interlaces his fingers with hers in her free hand, and brings it to his chest. It brings her in closer, and when she gazes into those gold eyes, she doesn't know if she wants to stab him through the gut outright.

Aqua has been staring down yellow eyes for ten years, and it is a lie to say that she hasn't prayed to never see this pair again.

He cups her cheek and kisses her on the forehead, and she lets him linger there. Xehanort would never do this.

"Terra?"

He doesn't answer. He relaxes as he presses his lips onto roots of her hair, like he's trying to breathe her in.

Until he finally lets her go, looking at his surroundings in a daze.

"Terra, is that still you?" she asks.

He stares at her lips, like he's trying to read them. The scowl on his face tells her that he cannot hear what she is saying, and defeated, he gives up.

Something catches his attention, and he fixates on something past her. Out onto the water, where the rocks stop the waves from crashing. But that is all that is there. _What is he staring at?_

"Terra," she calls again, out of instinct really. He continues to stare at whatever it is, until he finally notices that she's talking to him.

His gaze is slow moving, like he's unsure who he is looking at. It's intense, looking right into her and understanding the very nature of her darkest fears. And it condescends.

She pulls back.

But he grips her tightly and twists her arm.

And a fist throws itself right into her temple, propelling her into the sand below as her head pounds.

"To breathe is to know freedom," a rich, deep voice says. "What a glorious conundrum to find you here, Master Ansem."

She shakes the blurriness away. Terra's orange Wayfinder shines brightly in the saturated sand that surrounds it.

Ansem replies, his voice contracted and laced with disgust. "I've blamed myself of all the atrocities that have been committed under my watch. But this – there are certain things with you I cannot take responsibility for. You are truly mad."

"I shall take that in stride," Xehanort says, amused more than anything. "Far more important, however, is that I've actually found you."

"And what do you plan to do with me?"

"Plans," he corrected.

Aqua grabs the Wayfinder and ties it around her waist. She throws herself as a barrier between the two men, summoning the Master's Defender.

"The young Master finds herself trite with power," Xehanort says.

"I've beaten you before," she says, her voice low. Why this, and why now? Don't they have a door to go through? "It was easy."

Xehanort opens his arms to showcase the grandeur of the beach. "And you were rewarded handsomely, I should say."

Her eyes boil. Her teeth clench enough that she can actually feel them crush a little. And this power of rage, she will not let the Realm take from her.

"You were actually so scared of losing to me, you resorted to stabbing yourself with your Keyblade," she says. This shuts him up. "Now let him go."

He smiles like he's amused by a pet. "I have no interests in doing so."

"Then I'll make you," she growls.

She lunges forward, the first to strike against the heavy weight of the silver Keyblade he conjures.

Light here has a disadvantage, surely. But the creatures she has fought have been far worse than this excuse of a man, so she pays these warnings no heed. Even if the brutal swings of his weapon are doubled in power in the Realm of Darkness. Even if he combines the power of his manipulative magic with Terra's sheer strength.

In the end, large enemies are all the same. They overestimate themselves, coming in close in a blind stupor when they convince themselves they have the upper hand. And that's where she dodges and strikes in the small areas they leave exposed.

Xehanort laughs a hearty hurrah at her attempts to hit him. It sounds foreign coming from Terra's mouth, who prefers to keep his chuckles soft and to himself.

However… he's still Terra. He was just here, speaking words to her mere minutes ago. She was hugging him, she felt his touch. Maybe he wasn't real and she'll need to hear his voice again, just to be sure. They have a door to find. They may even have a future together, so why, when they are just about to see it through, did he have to leave her in a place like this?

Their Keyblades grind together, spewing sparks that burn brighter than the moonlight. The darkness from his weapon laps at her skin, and it's unnerving just how far it emanates. A cold force grips on her wrists, and it's too late when she realizes that he's taking control of her movement with his mind, before he throws her off of him.

And he cheats. _Cheats_.

Using a speed that is completely unnatural for a human, Xehanort closes in on her to deliver a pounding blow.

The pain on her side is immense, and she whispers a Curaga to get most of it to melt away so she can at least stand up.

"Let the girl be, I beg you," Ansem says, standing close to her as he's just about to contemplate getting in between them.

"It's remarkable," Xehanort says, towering over as she clutches herself. He studies her face, his gold eyes icy like he's observing an experiment. "It's been twelve years," he continues, his face lighting up like he wants her to know exactly what she's been sacrificing. "Yet you continue to exist."

"You underestimated the strength of my heart," she spat, wanting to see the look on his face when she shows him just what she is capable of doing.

But he rolls his eyes.

"When darkness plagues the being of every man, you'd think that as a Keyblade Master, you'd understand what it should mean when it grows on you." He smirks. "And you wear it more than I think you realize."

"Let's hear you say that when I get out of here," she says through her teeth.

"Keep in mind that I am darkness in a dark world," he says, his voice getting more potent as he lavishes in his power. "The only one gasping for air is you."

He loves hearing himself talk, and Aqua takes the chatty opportunity to rest, keeping her mind on her Keyblade so she can rely on it as quickly as she needs it to be. The fact that she's still hurting too much to stand properly isn't important. It will fade, eventually.

As though he expects her to do just that, he aims his Keyblade toward her, keeping the end of it close to her neck. "A shame I'll have to spend effort to enlighten you."

It's like a gravitational pull, a stretch deep within her chest like there's two different forces trying to pull her heart apart. His silver Keyblade has the instinct to call something deep within her despite that he hasn't commanded it to do anything yet, and the longer it hovers near her, the faster it drains the life out of her limbs.

But she doesn't allow herself to be intimated by the tip of the blade. Her fingers outstretch to call upon her own – and maybe he'll strike her before she can even get to it. Maybe this is a losing battle after all until she can get herself to a new advantage.

Either way, neither of those questions will be answered.

A young man takes the scene instead, raising his own Keyblade up high. He leaps from behind her as he throws himself onto Xehanort, yelling all of his girth into the strike and forcing the both of them to stagger backwards.

"Aqua!" a squeaky voice chirps. A rather large mouse, with ears the size of his face, jogs over to her side and starts to heal her with his magic.

"Mickey?" Her voice shakes, half-surprised, and half-exhausted just from having that Keyblade near her.

"Funny to see you here," Mickey says to Ansem, like greeting an old friend. "Do you think you'll be able to carry her out of here?"

"No," she interrupts. The magic has at least restored the feeling in her legs, and she drags herself to her feet.

Running to the young wielder's side, she throws shards of ice, tracing the circumference of the air around before twirling to send orbs of light upward to strike. And it's powerful when it hits. Light has some nerve to it, even in the darkness. So the old man is wrong, yet again.

Pinned in between two wielders now, Xehanort scoffs. "So be it."

He ignores the other wielder to come after her at once, parrying her direct strike before disarming her, and raising his Keyblade to jab directly at her chest.

But he stops with a yelp before his blade can pierce her skin, his torso drawing inwards as he clutches his face. Another yell, and a bright light shines from the ground below him. The earth rumbles and she and the other wielder fall onto the sand. Golden chains, tremendous in size, shoot upward, wrapping themselves around his body until he's too constricted to move, and he drops his Keyblade while he attempts to wiggle himself free.

"Wha-" The young man twitches as he watches in horror while failing to get himself up. "What are those?"

She doesn't have a good answer. She's only seen these chains once, when Terra tried to gain control back. "They're Terra."

Her voice suddenly reminds the young man that she's still there. He scurries to her, and holds her by the arms.

"I remember you," he says. His hair a darker shade of silver, his turquoise eyes soften when she thinks hard about where she's seen this face before. "Do you remember Sora?"

"Riku!" Mickey calls.

Riku… no, he was a small child the last time she saw him. Twelve years.

He pays no mind to the mouse, and shakes her out of her stupor. "You need to get out of here. Sora is waiting for you. Think of him."

Xehanort pulls at one of the chains to try and break his twisted arm free, prompting another to wrap around his neck in retaliation.

And leave Terra behind? "Out of the question," she says.

"He left the door open for you."

"I'm not leaving him."

With a yell, Xehanort unties the one around his head and now has an advantage in pulling the ones around his hip off.

Riku shakes her firmly. "Listen to me, this is the _worst_ place to do anything for Terra. You should go back to the Realm of Light, where you'll be stronger."

Mickey, with his Keyblade now in his hand, nods in agreement. "Don't let it be in vain."

It's peculiar, the word he purposely skips in that sentence. Don't let his sacrifice be in vain. Do what Terra wants you to do.

"Aqua," Ansem calls. "To unbind a mistake is costly and unbearable. You'll need a proper will and mind."

Summoning his Keyblade, Xehanort finally has the movement to strike against the chains, breaking them into tiny pieces until he's free.

Riku shakes her again so she'll look at him straight in the eye. "We can figure something out, together. But we can't do that here."

She takes one more glance at Xehanort, stumbling on himself from his re-gained freedom, watching her with those cold eyes. They are angry and hungry, like he is about to lose a lifeline. A thought passes through – did he once look at Terra with eyes like that, like his life depended on it?

"I'll make sure he won't get to you," Mickey says - mostly to Riku, who seems to be the one everyone agrees to have the most sense here.

If the Realm doesn't take her, Xehanort will.

She throws herself off the ground and wraps one of Ansem's arms around her shoulders. He'll need the support at the speed she's about to run. Leaving Riku and Mickey behind to fend Xehanort off, she sprints forward, not knowing where to go, where this door is or how to see it.

All she knows it that it is open. And Terra relied only on faith. So maybe she just has to believe that it's there.

_Do you remember Sora?_

The two of them climb over the rocky shores of the beach as they follow the coastline. The water stays still, like it has the patience for them to fall.

A shockwave reverberates from behind her, though she tries not to look back. Keep forward. But it's so forceful that it shakes the entirety of the beach, and she hears a horrendous crack as though something is breaking.

They fall forward onto their stomachs. She finally looks back. Riku is on his back, clutching his side. His Keyblade is in several large pieces. Mickey is chanting some protective magic. Xehanort encircles them like a predator.

"Are you alright?" Ansem asks he picks himself up.

But she can't join him. Her foot is wedged deep into the crevice in between the rocks underneath her. It twists enough that she can't pull it straight out.

"Let me go," she says to the Realm. She commands it to. No more begging.

In response, the rocks shift apart, further and further until she falls through them. She grabs hold of Ansem's hands, but the water is starving. When she hits it, she immediately sinks. Her fingers slip, and into the dark depths she floats downward, the light of the moon barely visible from down here.

Just so that the Realm can finally say it wins.

It calms her to sink, like she is safe enough to finally let go. Then it will get easier, and she can finally feel the freedom without needing anything else.

It's cruel, to let her touch her best friend and then take him away. How much is she expected to pick herself up after this? Who would put such presumptions on her? Is there anyone out there who cares enough to give her a break?

Something bright floats ever upward, attracting her attention to snap her out of staring at the surface of the water.

His orange Wayfinder, making its way back to where the moonlight hits the water.

"Terra," she says out loud, waving her arms as she starts swimming, "don't leave me here all alone."

It dances, spinning in place like something is playfully pulling it up.

"Wait." She swims harder against the weight of her body, which is dragging her down.

The Wayfinder stops, like it's hoping she will catch up, before floating back up again.

She reaches for it, and just as her fingertips brush the surface of the orange glass, the moonlight shines brighter.

Bright enough to illuminate the shallow water around her. Enough to really make his Wayfinder look like it's alive.

A shadow walks on the surface of the water, nearly passing over her.

"Aqua?"

The voice sends a jolt through her spine, despite that the water tries to muffle it quiet.

"Ven?" She grabs Terra's Wayfinder and swims furiously, aiming for the surface. He just needs to see her hand. She yells at the tops of her lungs, "I'm here, Ven! Look down!"

And the higher she swims, the heavier she is, and she doesn't know if she can ever get her fingers to pierce the surface.

A hand cuts through the water, grabbing hers. Light surrounds his round face – it does not belong to Ventus, but to a boy with unruly brown hair and bright blue, large eyes that speak of the wisdom of youthful optimism. His smile is that of a dog welcoming its owner.

_Sora_.

"You're coming with me," he says, and pulls her in to his embrace.

The light sears, and she clenches her eyes shut because it hurts to see. She is being pulled into two different directions – one, wherever Sora is taking her. The other is a burden, dragging her back like she needs to stay and make a home there.

That weight slowly loosens but it never really disappears, until the momentum propels her forward at a tremendous speed, but she keeps her arms around this boy's waist – if she lets go, she'll sink.

The light retracts its overbearing presence, eventually calming to a dim room, and the two of them crash into very shallow water. Very shallow, very _cold_ water.

Voices surround her, but she cannot pick out any words. If anything, she hears anxious emotions. She opens her eyes, but her vision is so blurred that she cannot notice shapes or movement.

Sora loosens his grip on her as he gently leaves her on the ground. "I have to get Riku, now," she can clearly hear him say.

"Wait," she mutters. Her voice is completely dry and can barely produce a sound.

The person who comes for her picks up her head and rests it on a lap.

"You must be Aqua." It's a woman's voice. The accent is posh and stilted, almost like the embodiment of someone high-class.

"Where am I?" She forces herself to make a sound, but it comes out as a wheeze. She can't make out a face, but the long hair that falls is black.

"You're in Traverse Town, dear." The woman gently places a hand on the back of her head, a bright light emitting from it.

Immediately, Aqua hisses from it. It's too bright. The woman firmly holds a gloved hand over her eyes, as if to shush her to sleep. This light is healing magic. A warmth spreads down her spine, massaging out the tension in her muscles.

Someone else takes Aqua by the shoulders and moves her to sit up against a slimy wall of brick. She's sitting on water still, and it soaks her shorts.

The voices further away clear up.

"This thing is getting bigger," a tired and rusty voice says, like he hates to spend the energy speaking. And very nervous at whatever he is looking at.

"Has your father never bothered to teach you the value of patience, Noctis?" This is the woman who just healed Aqua.

A grumble is the only answer Noctis gives her.

"Hmph," a different, gruff voice chimes in. It is corrupted by too many cigarettes. "If you want my opinion, we shouldn't have left the city in the care of a duck and a dog-thing."

Aqua opens her eyes to make sure she is hearing the right words. Her vision clears up a bit, but that _light_ – torch light, from a flame one of the men is carrying. It's dim and soft, and should only be able to illuminate the people surrounding it.

So then why does it hurt so much to look at?

"Rise and shine," someone says to her. He leans down in front of her, and she can only really make out red hair. Very, very big red hair. "Name's Lea, uhhhhh…"

"Mmm?" Her skin only gets colder, and eventually she starts to shiver.

"Looks like you're not going to be able to memorize anything tonight," Lea says, and she feels solid hands on her shoulders, trying to keep her sitting upright.

His eyes come through the blur, a bright green that are inquisitive yet distant. Like he can only spend so much of his personal effort to get involved before he becomes disinterested.

"What?" is all she can say. Pressure rises in between her eyes, and her stomach churns.

Hunger. She is actually hungry.

Then it shifts suddenly and she's in terrible pain. Twelve years of hunger catching up with her?

"Relax," he says, "you're completely safe."

"I need food," she says, but the thought of eating makes her want to throw up.

"Well, why didn't you _mumble_ that before?"

He leaves her behind while the other men share observations. The man holding the torch, with blond spiky hair, talks about how there aren't any Heartless roaming the passageways anymore. The gruffly voiced man holds a large toothpick in between his teeth, and the third, Noctis, crosses his arms as he listens intently to the others, eyes darting all around.

They all seem to be underground, and they stand ankle-deep in a large puddle that spreads through the entire floor. The walls are made of stone, slimy and slick with moss growing on them. Traverse Town, the beautiful city Terra promised her.

The woman is on the other side of the room, bent over Ansem as her hands trace the outlines of his body, healing him with that bright light.

To her right is a large, black mass that covers nearly the entire wall. It moves, much like the slither of the Heartless tide, wisps of purple smoke spitting out every so often. A golden doorway encloses it together and stops it from spreading it further. A Door of Light made out of darkness, just like Terra said.

But why is there a portal to the Realm of Darkness in a sewer?

It is then her heart stirs. Sora and Riku spit out of the portal, thrown into a heap together in a frenzy like they've just been running for their lives.

"Sora, you need to seal it," Riku says immediately.

This warning freaks the others, Noctis coming in close to get involved.

"I'm not going to do that!" Sora swipes at the air, like he's made his decision final.

"What does that mean?" Noctis juts in, putting his hand specifically on Sora's shoulder. "You can't leave this thing open."

"But the King-"

"Has already sealed his side of it," Riku says. "He can't come through anyway. You have to trust him." His voice betrays his confidence. He's a wreck, but he's good at hiding it.

"We can't just leave them," Sora says.

… Terra isn't with them.

"This is what Mickey wants," Riku says, the inflections of his words wishing it is the opposite.

"Sora," Noctis says, his tone dark and serious, "you can't leave us out to hang like this. You have to seal it."

The others watch him intensely, like their heartbeats are jammed in their throats and they may be sentenced at any moment.

"No," Aqua says, but she isn't loud enough to be heard. "We can't leave Terra."

Sora, surrounded by people who expect him to be the prime example of a Keyblade wielder, reluctantly summons his calling, and points it at the wall of dark mass.

"No!" Aqua squeals, fumbling over to her knees. Her limbs shake with movement, and she can't imagine if there is a warmth that exists out there to keep her from turning into ice.

Lea notices her squirming, running over to her to pick her up in his arms. Sora already starts the process of sealing this entryway into the most famished realm that can ever exist. As simple as that, she's cut off from Terra again.

Laying down on her back like this, she's too weak to keep the heaviness in her eyes open. Twelve years' worth of lack of sleep forces its way on her. Letting herself sink is easy.


	2. Chapter 2: Rain

**A/N: _This has been a tricky chapter to write, having to make sure new readers understand what is going on without being too repetitive for returning readers who have read the first fic. But I'm grateful for the challenge. It's been quite a while, I hope y'all enjoy it! All those characters you may not recognize are from Final Fantasy games._****  
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Her eyes flutter open to a foreign ceiling in a room painted in deep burgundy. Sunlight beams through the bottom of the closed curtains, slicking straight off of the carpet like it's illuminating a pool of blood. She's in a bedroom in a place she doesn't know.

Aqua holds her breath, clutching the bedsheets and listening for any sign of movement. Chatter from outside the window, a noisy street.

The relief that seeps in is apprehensive but it settles anyway, her sigh shaky and long, replaying images of last night through her mind. It really wasn't a dream. Terra was actually with her, and he left the Door open. She was pulled out, and he was left behind.

She is free for a price.

"Pull yourself together, Aqua," she says out loud.

There aren't any Heartless here. Relaxing (though it takes her several moments to stop herself from denying it), she wiggles her feet and runs her hands against the soft silk of the mattress, the same color as the walls. The darkness has made her forget that there are smaller things worth experiencing, like the inviting solace of a good bed.

But if there is anything she doesn't miss, it's the soreness. She grumbles as she sits up, noticing all the aches pulsing through her body – twelve years of walking and fighting, and she's never taken a break. By all accounts, she probably shouldn't be alive anymore.

So then, why is she?

Most of last night is still cloudy. Each time she tried to stay awake, her body demanded its sleep. She doesn't remember who helped her do so, but she had the strength to take a shower. People had surrounded her, checking her pulse and the color of her skin, making sure she didn't leave them for good. Blurred faces really, but she's certain magic was involved in healing her.

There was also crying involved, judging by how swollen her eyes felt. She is free and how long will it take for her to accept it?

On the bedside table is a bowl of mixed fruit, ripe and ready, along with scraps of what she left behind. If she isn't sleeping, she eats. Next to it is an empty glass, and a half-eaten sandwich. It's plain, a simple stack of meat slices and cheese, but she doesn't remember what anything else tastes like, so this is the feast of the century.

Throwing grapes into her mouth, she listens intently at the crunch, quenching her thirst with the juices squeezed out of the berries.

She remembers now. She's in Traverse Town, somewhere in a hotel.

A clock hangs on the wall opposite her bed, telling her it's mid-afternoon. But is it correct?

She scoffs.

"Why am I looking for reasons to distrust clocks in the Realm of Light?"

When she steps onto the floor, she winces. The ache is worst on her feet, wrapped in bandages, with bruises and blisters still showing through. The Realm of Darkness had apparently decided that it wasn't worth reminding her what twelve years in shoes would do to her.

Aqua gets up anyway. Sore feet aren't an excuse not to walk forward.

She needs to find Ventus immediately, no matter what her body feels.

There is a wardrobe in the room, though there's no telling if it has anything inside. A calming painting of landscape with a windmill sits on the wall by it; flowers on a field with mountains in the background in what looks like a bright sunny day. She reads the painting like she's certain the artist meant for it to be a windy day and the windmill is hard at work. She nearly brushes her fingers against the painted strokes, but thinks better than to ruin someone's hard work.

Her clothes are neatly folded on a chair by the vanity table, but she doesn't remember who laundered them for her. Waiting there are two Wayfinders, her solemn blue and his courageous orange, in good shape. The mirror is covered in layers of sheets.

… It was Riku who covered it for her. She had whined and begged not to let a mirror show her reflection last night, and he did what he could. Hopefully, he's the only wielder who saw her behave that way.

Without withdrawing the sheets to use her reflection, she proceeds to dress herself. Re-learning to tie a corset when she never bothered to adjust it for so long is the hardest part.

A knock taps on her door.

She has to calm her instinct of assuming it's a monster on the other side first before opening her mouth. "C-come in."

The woman with long black hair – the healer from last night – allows herself in, dragging a cart behind her. She's incredibly short, definitely shorter than Ventus, but carries her head with the grace of someone who expects attention to be given to her. There is a fluidity in the sway of her walk, her orange jumpsuit revealing how lightly she weighs on her feet and her white bell sleeves glide through the air.

Her name is Garnet, and she's a princess from somewhere. Aqua immediately bows her head.

"What a joy it is to see you up and about," Garnet says, trailing her cart to the vanity table. It is stacked with plates, cartons of food, potions and rags, topped with a large teapot.

"Your Highness." Aqua pulls a little on her sleeves and quickly runs fingers through her hair, completely unprepared for such a visit.

"You may drop the formalities," Garnet says like she expects not to repeat herself. She pours tea into a mug, and eyes the room. The mirror covered in sheets. The drawn curtains.

But her smile is warm and forgiving, like it doesn't matter that she's a princess of whatever. It's a strange sight to see, but Aqua supposes that happiness is something that _persisted_ in the outside world.

And it comes to her attention that she doesn't know what to say.

She accepts the mug and lets her mind mull over conversation starters – but the taste consumes her instead. Ginger tea, Terra's favorite. In fact, it is so delicious that he could have been the one to make it, being such an expert at brewing teas that no one in the castle bothered to imitate. She never thought she'd ever taste his work again, or even something that can compare.

Aqua allows only one sip so she doesn't shudder and break down from remembering such a vivid detail.

She probably did a horrible job at hiding it, Garnet closely watching her with a sympathy in her black eyes. Instead of bringing attention to it (thankfully), the princess helps herself to the window curtains.

"Some light would surely liven the mood," she says, waiting for a cue that would allow her open it. And slowly, she does, the sunlight bathing the entire room. All Aqua sees outside are the roofs of neighboring buildings; her room must be on the top floor.

It burns, and at first, Aqua can only stare at the ground with a tight squint. She stumbles backward onto a chair, covering her face with her hands.

"If it pains you, I can close it."

"No, I'm fine," Aqua says shakily. Who knew there can be _so much brightness_.

Garnet then proceeds to tend to Aqua's feet, a soft white glow emitting from her hands, caressing her skin in a bath of warmth. This healing magic is powerful, evaporating the bruises slowly and whisking away the pain. It's the first time Aqua has seen healing magic that doesn't emit a green aura.

It's almost like the princess burns light to help other people.

Then it strikes her – the reason she's survived exhaustion and starvation is because Garnet was the one tending to her all night. Aqua blushes at the thought that royalty has been waiting on her all this time.

"You don't really have to do that-"

"Hush," Garnet commands, grabbing a hairbrush from the table and carefully going through knots. "I owe my life to Terra," she says simply, solemnly. "This is the least I can do… aside from offering my condolences."

It isn't really a comforting thought, not completely, knowing how Terra spent his last days. At the same time, hearing how he's helped others is a solace on its own, since he wouldn't have asked to use his time any other way.

If they ever get back together, they'll have to trade stories.

"We'll find each other again," Aqua says out loud, more to herself than in response, totally aware that denial is a strong motivator.

How will she muster the courage to step back into the Realm of Darkness to save him?

Garnet perks up, like she's reminding herself that it's the best way to deal with sadness. "Let us make you presentable for the day."

Dressing is much easier with a partner, especially the corset. Wrapped in clean hip sashes and throwing socks over fresh bandages, Aqua nearly thinks of herself as a normal human being.

She is asked to sit back down for another health check, splaying her fingers on her knees as Garnet traces her healing magic up her arms and around her shoulders. With hands on either side of her neck, warmth engulfs her face as the magic climbs to the top of her crown.

Garnet stops, the smile in her eyes falling to a slight drop of her jaw. "That mind of yours…" She purses her lips, like she's said too much, and grips Aqua's hand in hers.

"Be sure to never lose faith," the princess says. She wills a smile back to her face – the training she's had to be primed as queen working in her favor since it looks so effortless in spite of the disturbance earlier. But her eyes can't hide so well; they look spooked.

"Okay."

"Swear it to me." It's impressive how warm and soft she sounds even when she demands obedience.

"Yes ma'am," Aqua stutters, unsure where this is coming from. It would make sense if Garnet has seen this sort of thing before, but she's probably not going to get an answer if she asks. "I swear."

With this, the princess finally lets go, her smile quivering as she ponders something. After Aqua rejects more food, more tea, and more healing, Garnet shuffles through the stuff on her cart and pulls out a small, ornate box, made of metal and decorated in vine-like filigree.

"Terra wished for you to have this," she says, handing it over. On the side of it is a wind key.

Aqua keeps forgetting how awful she's become in keeping conversations when Garnet announces that she must tend to the wounded – it's more likely a way to quickly give her some space with a gift so personal.

"The other Keyblade wielders are downstairs," Garnet adds, pushing her cart back out the door. "I'm pleased to see how fast you've improved."

This time, she's the one to bow. Maybe it's a common mannerism in her world, or she simply doesn't know how to talk to peasants.

Either way, it's for the best to be alone right now.

Terra still knows her so well, choosing a music box as a gift.

The wind key isn't tight to twist, and the box opens itself at the first notes – the first song she has heard in over a decade.

Inside is a frank and intimate look into the makings of an automatic instrument: a cylinder rotating neatly in between several pins, plucking the teeth of a steel comb as the gears underneath take each turn the wind key has birthed them. Some of the pieces are foreign, carefully welded to act as replacement for whatever was broken before by someone who had a lot of care to give. Either way, whoever did it left a new heart that breaths life back into the contraption.

It's not so much that it's a music box Terra thought to give her, but that he wanted her to feel hope again.

The melody itself is an exposure to her most vulnerable thoughts, the voice of a ghost who is very aware that she is still on the earthly plane. It's bittersweet, like a walk through an old, well-loved home that had to be left behind.

It makes her think of a very specific memory, a picnic taken up on a mountain trail by a creek, tying a hammock in between two trees and Ventus didn't have the patience to sit and eat so he already helped himself to the contents inside the basket.

What food she made for all of them didn't matter. What did matter was the image of Terra carrying a book, because he decided to spend too much time training physically and still needed to crunch his studies for an upcoming test.

He wandered into the creek with bare feet, letting his long pants flow in the stream, holding that open book close to his face while he sun-bathed. He plucked food from the basket as he sat cross-legged on his own, never realizing that he was terrible at multi-tasking and ignored Ventus completely to memorize words, pushing the boy by the face at arm's length. He fell asleep on the hammock, the book sprawled open across his chest and this was probably the loveliest image of all, seeing him peaceful enough to forget his studies. If she remembered correctly, he passed that test with flying colors anyway.

Hearing this song, Terra's song, is probably a stronger experience than anything else. Just like a phantom, it's happy that it can revisit such a memory, but sad that it can never be relived. It's a reminder. She is free.

How easily the tears swell up when darkness isn't there to numb them away. The lump in her throat grows and she can't swallow it back down.

She takes a deep breath. "I'll cry about this once, then I will focus on moving only forward."

Her breath releases, and she's always been a silent cryer as she lets it all fall into the box, now one of the things that will keep her and Terra together because it was a gift he touched and she's marking it with her tears, as though the passage of time is the only barrier between them.

She hugs herself, but it isn't as warm as his embrace from last night. Time and distance are the worst.

"What is the point of saving me if you aren't here to see me free?" she sobs.

The song replies with a sadness that knew of the sacrifice that was coming to him, but it's an adoring and devoted expression nonetheless.

She places the music box down next to the Wayfinders, picking up his orange one. An unbreakable connection, which is exactly the kind of message she hears in the chords.

The tears slow down as his trinket catches the sunlight, exhausted from the emotional release. He had to have known what venturing into the Realm of Darkness was going to do to him, and he did it anyway.

"You never think things through, Terra," she says, sniffling and feeling a small smile pull on her lips. "I'm going to give you a piece of my mind when I save you."

She winds it again before it stops, as far as it can go, to give herself a moment. To dance, to feel the stretch of her calves when she lifts onto her toes. Let herself get carried away by the story of the ghost who remembers what it's like to live, let the melody cycles penetrate her mind and take her body away as it repeats every time the cylinder. The ghost makes her feel less lonely, and in this raw expression, she's beautiful, just to feel again.

The notes fade into white noise as the chatter and bustle of the streets outside fill the room, and she stops to listen. Truthfully, she wants to hear Terra's song again, and honestly, she shouldn't be too selfish.

Wandering over to the windows, she watches people hustling on the cobblestone streets below. Some sit down for a late lunch, getting lost in conversation. Others window shop for jewelry and exquisite wooden toys. Crowds of people hurry around the block with hats and coats on, suitcases in hand, parents dragging their children, children gripping their stuffed animals for dear life, like they all have a ride to catch.

None of them act like there's a darkness creeping below them, or know that she exists as a witness, tucked away in a room far above them.

Is there even a sense of treating them like they'll never find out where she's been all this time?

Does it matter when she has to get moving? She'll have to talk to Sora and Riku, at the very least.

Caressing the music box before carefully storing it into her dresser, Aqua takes both Wayfinders and steps out.

The hallway outside, carpeted and illuminated in pleasant lights, is quiet and empty. It is only when she heads downstairs that she starts hearing crisp voices of other people, louder than she remembers such a thing to sound like.

The hotel should have been a unique vacation experience, homely enough to house handmade decorations and paintings, luxurious enough to boast exquisite tiles and furniture. But the wood floors are chipped. Boxes stack against stretches of wall. Weapons mount in some rooms. Rows of beds full of injured people fill others. People pay no attention to her, scrambling around like they have to deliver papers under deadlines.

They hurry so much that they rush past her shoulders, letting her ricochet a bit until she bumps into a woman with long, black hair twisted into braids. Face covered in heavy makeup, colorful pins tucked into her bun, and a dress adorned in fur and leather belts, she looks like a witch.

"I- I'm sorry," Aqua whispers, and freezes.

It's not the woman she stares at, but the girl at her side. Maybe around seven years old, a small thing with round cheeks, blonde pigtails and a wide-eyed stare that doesn't know what's going on but is desperate to find out. She clutches a stuffed rabbit like it's her shield.

A whole _lifetime_ younger than the years Aqua spent in the Realm of Darkness, one among millions of birthdays that were celebrated. One of millions of funerals, heartbreaks, weddings.

"Excuse me," the witch says, gripping her girl's hand in one of hers and a roll of luggage in the other, not letting Aqua apologize for the awkwardness.

As is her right, Aqua must have been staring with her mouth open. And what is she supposed to say? What a lovely afternoon it is?

The witch and the girl join a chatty gathering of several children of different ages, all carrying one bag of their own. With this many kids, this has to be an orphanage, the witch being their organizer. They all call her "Miss Lulu."

"It's strange to be surrounded by other people, is it not?" a gruff, rough voice asks, like he watched the entire ordeal.

Ansem the Wise sits on a chair by a messy desk covered in sealed envelopes, sprawled out like they've been shaken out of a proper stack. Whoever worked on these frantically forgot about them. His hood is withdrawn, and he looks as though he's had just as restless of a night as her.

Aqua takes a seat next to him. It's nice to have someone who understands.

"I'm not like them," she says, and they are stranger words indeed. She doesn't have a better way of articulating herself nor does she know where they come from. Just that she's different.

"Well I would hope not," Ansem says with an amused grin. "You wield the Keyblade after all." She smiles meekly at his joke, and it encourages him. "I assure you, you are still very much human."

He takes stock of the people around him, of Lulu, who is double-checking papers before giving one to each of the children, like they are tickets of some kind. The blonde girl starts hysterically crying when she realizes that Lulu has no choice but to stay behind. What is happening to separate them?

"Your friend is very sincere," Ansem says, drawing out the last word. "Terra."

All Aqua can do is nod. Remembering last night is not what she wants right now, re-imagining the pain Terra must be in, scared and alone in the Realm of Darkness.

"I will have to apologize," Ansem continues. "I did not know."

"Did not know what?"

He takes a breath before starting. "Around twelve years ago, I enlisted Xehanort as an apprentice, at my castle in Radiant Garden-"

"Radiant Garden," she repeats, swallowing a lump in her throat. She checks herself and silently promises not to interrupt again. For years, she's wondered what actually happened to Terra that fateful day, and she gave up waiting for an answer. Now it's here.

"Yes. My team found an unconscious young man, with no memory of his past…"

She clears her throat.

"Xehanort was someone who was very specific over what he was sincere about. Nevertheless, he was polite, dedicated, even disobedient at times…"

Words like _polite, dedicated, even disobedient at times_ can be used to describe Terra and she doesn't know whether she should spit at this.

"Not once did I ever suspect he was someone else, and for that, I am sorry for never realizing."

She's been staring at her knees the entire time and nods.

But there is more to the story, and as Ansem continues his tale of how his apprentice became more rambunctious and bold over time, Aqua finds her face buried in her hands, stopping herself from throwing up.

Xehanort's experiments. The creation of Heartless. She sacrificed herself to give Terra a chance and instead left the worlds with a worse mess than the Unversed, who apparently disappeared shortly after. The Heartless are her responsibility now.

The blonde girl cries harder this time, like she wants to prove a point to Lulu, and it's all Aqua's fault.

The thing about doing the right, just thing is that no one believes that they'd ever be delusional with it. Especially for twelve years.

It's a crappy place to be in, throwing millions of people into fear for the life of one man. One very special and dear friend, who would have perished in the darkness, she truly _believed she was doing her best_.

And Xemnas… he said that he lost his heart. Was he also a victim of Xehanort's experiments? Does she have his life on her hands, too?

"It's good to see you awake," a young man's voice interrupts her thoughts. Dressed entirely in black like he belongs in some gang, with dark hair trendy enough to make other young people self-conscious, he speaks like he's been yawning all day. His name is Noctis, the leader from last night.

His smile at least is just as warm and genuine as Garnet's.

"Master Ansem," Noctis addresses, "the ship will depart soon."

Turning to Aqua, Ansem says, "I will head back to Radiant Garden. Will you join me?"

There is no good destination for her aside from the Land of Departure.

"I… I need to find my friend first."

Her heart truly wants to make amends with Ventus, as though she has betrayed him for making him wait so long. Yet she's a Keyblade Master with the calling to help those in need, why does owning a Keyblade mean that she has to let her friends down?

"Surely I can be of service to you?" Ansem asks. "I can lend you a personal gummi ship, you can travel the worlds on your own that way."

"I'm sure you can, but," she starts, before turning to Noctis and asking, "what is going on here?"

His eyes drop for a second before replying. "We have a Heartless problem. These people are being evacuated."

So the displaced are hers as well. She silently asks forgiveness from Ventus, promising that she's closer than ever. He just needs to wait a little longer. She's sorry.

"I think it's a good idea that I talk to Sora and Riku first," is her answer to Ansem. "I'll stay."

Maybe she's imagining it, but Noctis looks just a bit relieved.

"Then I shall take my leave," Ansem declares, grunting as he stands up. "Please be well." He shakes hands with Noctis, naming him _Your Majesty_ before joining the other people rushing to catch the same ship.

With the way he leans on one leg and rubs the back of his head, Noctis is the most casual king she has ever met.

"I'm glad you're staying," he says, before realizing that it sounds weird with no context. "There's something I think you should see."

It's not every day she gets escorted by someone royal in a fancy hotel, not that there's much to look at anymore. Ballrooms are used as storage spaces, the dining room is packed with tired, dirty people venting out their problems, and they have to sometimes squeeze in between hoards of boxes to follow a hallway. He answers her questions along the way – Traverse Town has been the site of a menacing Heartless attack for weeks now. It's getting worse, and their plan right now is to evacuate the city, which may take several days. The people boarding the ship right now have been chosen by a lottery system, which prioritizes families and children. The rest will have to wait until later. He and his men will prepare for another Heartless attack late tonight.

Some worlds Aqua has seen before were damaged by Unversed more so than others. This is far worse. What is even more awful is that Traverse Town is a refuge for people who have lost their worlds to darkness. Now they are losing their second home.

Aqua, sadly, knows exactly how that feels.

Little pitter-patters follow their footsteps, small kittens curious enough to wonder where they're going. One of them, a fluffy, dark gray thing with an uneven red ribbon tied around his neck, kneads at her ankles.

"Berlioz is really friendly," Noctis says, encouraging her to cradle the little kitten in both her hands, his fur soft and warm and his purrs a sound she has forgotten exists.

His siblings meow for attention, attracting their stunning, fluffy white mother, who Noctis introduces as Duchess. She gracefully arrives via the top of an upright piano, purring at the caress of his hand and trying to climb onto his shoulders.

Aqua has to stop at this piano, she just _has_ to. She strikes three keys at the same time as she holds Berlioz close to her chest. They sound terrible together but he doesn't mind – he's too busy sniffing her chin.

"Does Terra ever play for you?" Noctis asks.

The confidence in which he asks the question nearly confuses Aqua, as if it was something he witnessed with his own eyes. Which is impossible.

"Terra doesn't play the piano."

"Oh… my bad."

He is questioning her answer, she can hear it in his voice. And it almost – _almost_ – makes her wonder if she is remembering her best friend wrong. But it can't be, she's spent her almost every waking moment with him, and the crazier thing is that she's anxious enough to want to prove her point and claim that he has never learned to play any instrument.

Neither of them brush the subject again, since they are almost at the room he wants to show her. The kittens don't follow them inside, and it's for the best.

This room – their _room of remembrance_, as he calls it - used to be a small ballroom, empty of furniture. Two walls on opposite sides are adorned with collages of photographs, all of them of smiling people. The wall to her left has tables with open books and written words. The wall to her right has flowers, both fresh and withered, and candles carefully alight. Visitors gather around the photos, whispering to themselves.

Noctis waves to the wall on the left. "This is where we send prayers for return."

She quizzes him with her eyes. He continues, "they say that when you turn into a Heartless, it's not the end. One day you can come back to normal, and we wish those people a safe return home to us in those journals."

He says it in a way as though he needs her to confirm this information, even though this is the first she's ever heard of it. It's astonishing how many photos are on this wall, all Heartless now. There is one of Noctis surrounded by three other young men, who wear all-black like he does, out on fishing trip. He's probably alone now.

"And the wall behind us?" she asks.

Noctis glances back and his expression gets grim, like he's annoyed with himself for failing. "That's our memorial, for those who can't come back."

The memorial has more photos. All of them, the dead and the Heartless, are hers.

"What kind of Heartless problem is this?"

He chuckles, but it's the sort that is full of spite. "One we've named Kefka."

_Kefka_, the way the name is pronounced is full of vitriol.

Before she asks any further, a line of people come into the room. One of them is Garnet, who has wiped any smile from her face as she interlaces her fingers to her chest. Following her is Riku, who is solemnly holding a picture, and Sora, who has his arms crossed.

"This is what I wanted you to see," Noctis whispers. "I don't exactly understand what happened to him, but we're all sending Terra our prayers."

Riku pins a photo of a smirking Terra onto the wall to join the rest who have fallen to darkness. In this picture, Terra is surrounded by others: Riku and Noctis by his side, Garnet in front of him, along with others that's she's never met before. Onlookers have already started writing down their wishes in an open journal, taking turns like it's a guestbook to funeral.

Sora is the only one truly uncomfortable, rubbing his foot into the carpet like it's to blame as his cheeks puff up in a frown. He sniffs as he stands straight and faces the photo, as though it takes him bravery to face the sadness. It's probably not something that anyone would have noticed about him, since he hides it so well.

Noctis leaves her side to hold a weeping Garnet's shoulder before taking their turns at writing in the journal.

She wonders if any one of them know that losing Terra is her fault, too.

A woman with bright green hair approaches Aqua, using a wooden longstaff to keep herself standing upright. Her lavish green dress, adorned with gold embroidery and long empire sleeves that drag on the floor, is proudly worn, as though the fact she cannot walk well matters little. She is dressed like a sorceress, and this woman wants the world to know. Aqua recognizes her as someone in the photo with Terra.

"Miss Aqua," she begins, blinking back tears. "my name is Rydia." She holds out one hand to take one of Aqua's. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you, and for Terra."

Sorry doesn't really cut it. Aqua knows this but she also knows it's rude to even feel that way since Rydia means no ill intention. She brushes the bitterness to the back of her mind.

"Thanks," she croaks even though she doesn't mean to.

"I wanted you to know," Rydia says, her own voice cracking, "that… I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Terra." She cries now, a smile across her face like she wants to make her tears comfortable. "I'd have my photo put up at the memorial today. I'm so happy that he found you. I honestly think it made his life worthwhile."

Aqua is dumbfounded at the intimacy of such a statement. Of course, she doesn't talk about why Rydia is left without her home world, or why there are Heartless to begin with. Something tells her that Rydia will be the one person in this room not to blame her for any of that, and this alone is comforting.

She rubs the sorceress' hands in both of hers. At least one life is well, and it's marvelous to be proud of what Terra has saved.

"Thank you." This time, she really means it.

Rydia, after giving her one more gentle squeeze, leaves to join the line with the others for her turn at the journal. Aqua doesn't get more than a moment to compose herself when Riku approaches her.

"You look better," he smirks. He's slightly taller than her, and he's so much like Terra, not letting his emotions be too readable on his face. He gestures towards the exit and they both leave Sora, who is quite happy to give Noctis and Garnet a pep talk, trying hard to keep them optimistic.

She breathes better outside of that room, even though it's full of love and appreciation for her best friend.

The two of them find lounge chairs in the hallway close to the entrance of the hotel, buried underneath clothes, books and open cartons of food. Removing them, they sit across from each other. Riku clears his throat, letting go of a fist that forms on his knee.

"I'm sorry about what happened," he starts.

"You and so many others," she chuckles, really trying to make light of the situation. It doesn't work on him. She really needs to get this talking-to-people thing under control.

"I tried to help Terra with his powers of darkness… I wanted him to be able to handle them, to last longer before he was overtaken again."

"Ah." Aqua catches a breath, her lips quivering. "Well, he found me. You gave him enough time to find me." She forces a smile and it stops the tears.

He nods out of obligation and nothing else. "Mickey, ah, chose to stay behind to be with him."

It's meant to be comforting, the idea that neither of them are alone, but it's so obvious how much Riku is affected by this information, even though he works hard to hide it. His eyes shift around despite his smile. He loses control over his hand and it forms a fist again before he realizes.

And the only thing Aqua feels in return is… coldness? Like the mouse deserves it, to be so compelled to stay behind for her friend while she waited for him by herself.

It's completely inappropriate to feel this way of course, and it gets worse when Riku tells her that Mickey felt like he owed her. _For abandoning her_, which are the words not spoken. Completely out of character, she thinks to herself, so what is _wrong_ with her?

However abnormal her thoughts are, she leans forward to hold Riku's wrist – fake the compassion until it occurs to her naturally, where she feels more like her old self. If anything, the Realm of Darkness should never have the power to take anything away from her, least of all herself. Maybe Mickey had other responsibilities. Maybe the worlds desperately needed his help.

Sora takes a seat by them, listening to the tail end of their conversation. "Speaking of," he pipes up, "Donald still won't talk to me."

"Where is he?" Riku asks.

"Talking to the sky pirates with Goofy." The way he responds is only slightly nonchalant, like he understands the seriousness of the situation but comforted by some secret knowledge that everything is going to be okay anyway. "They're trying to put together a plan to find a new Door to Darkness and free the king."

"It's not easy getting into the Realm of Darkness," Riku explains.

Funny, it wasn't hard for her.

She must have been too silent, because Riku's expression softens. "You didn't trade places with him, you know."

"What?"

"You didn't trade places with Terra." He leans forward. "Xehanort has a lot of friends who wouldn't just leave him there. But that's worst case scenario."

There are several things running through her mind that could be more catastrophic than a rampant Xehanort in the Realm of Darkness.

"But," Riku stresses, "Terra has Mickey now, who's a good friend. They can take care of each other until we figure out a way to help them. Who knows, sometimes Mickey can perform miracles…"

Sora snickers. Riku rolls his eyes and finishes, "he just sucks with them at times."

It takes so much effort not to spit about Mickey's poor track record, but maybe Riku is the exact reason for why she was left behind. A young boy in need of someone to look out for him… She knows this is a possibility, but the stars be damned if she can't comfort herself right now. She purses her lips and doesn't respond.

"What are you going to do now?" Sora asks with a wide smile. If he noticed how she's been feeling, he's smart to give her space. "Find Ventus?"

It's the first thing on her list of things to do. Wake him up. Free Terra and finally get her family back… and find Xemnas. Find a way to undo the awful things that might have happened to him, or if anything, find out if he's safe. Not a particularly long list.

"The gummi ship has already left," Riku says in her place. "And we can't take her. We have to stay here for Kefka."

There's something about _Kefka_ that brings a weight to everyone around her, like the name is poisonous.

"I can't get to him right now," she replies for herself, though it's difficult for her to admit. "I have to stay here and help these people."

Sora nearly jumps forward. "Are you sure you don't need rest?"

"Rest can get boring." Her best attempt at a joke, but the smile is docile.

"You're not concerned about him?" Riku interjects.

"Of course I am…" She nearly scoffs. "But I know he's okay."

"He's been missing for years." As if she doesn't know. "Where is he?"

Aqua taps her knee first. She nearly told Terra – of all people – where Ventus is hiding and that could have been dangerous. Riku and Sora aren't dangerous, not to her and not to her family. The walls don't have ears, and no one in this hotel is suspicious. It's not anyone here, but the _risk_.

If he's still missing, then twelve years of keeping her mouth shut has worked.

"Safe in a place where no one will find him."

Sora is about to object, but Riku waves him off, a smirk drawing across his face. "You're just as tight-lipped as Terra, huh? Hm, I get it, I understand. His safety comes first... I appreciate how much you're straightforward though."

"Thanks." She breathes a sigh of relief. "Enough about me. What can I do to help?"

He takes a moment to think first. "I think you can protect the sick and injured here tonight. Heartless will specifically target them."

"… What?"

Heartless are feral and primitive, driven by a hungry instinct. They are stronger in the Realm of Darkness, and she has met some with a more complex intellect, like powerful predators stuck. But that's all they are.

"Kefka sends them to do just that."

"That's…" She's about to say _impossible_. "… awful."

Riku can hear her apprehension in her voice. "And?"

"That's too smart."

"That's Kefka." He smirks. "I'd appreciate if you could stand guard here."

She is speechless. Her mind wanders to old lessons, searching for an answer to this nonsense.

_Legendaries_. Every single person in the multiverse has darkness in them, and it manifests in small and in large ways. Sometimes it evolves, morphing people into something more than human, giving them powers or turning them into monsters strong enough to leave fables for generations. Or it's a tremendous concentration of energy that creates an identity for itself and acts on its own. Terra used to read about these things all the time, but she has her own personal example. She ran into one as an eight-year-old; a man who killed her parents and started her journey as a Keyblade wielder. Ardyn is one of his names.

If a man can become legendary, then surely a Heartless can.

"So why don't I help you fight it?"

Sora squirms at the question and Riku doubles down on his argument.

"I don't think fighting Kefka is a good idea for you."

"And why not?"

"I doubt you're in top shape, and it's a tough battle."

It's not entirely false but she's faced worse. "Are you going to fight Kefka?"

"Yes."

"But your Keyblade?" Sora objects.

So what she saw last night was true – Riku's Keyblade really did shatter.

"I'm going to Yen Sid's now to do something about it." He gets up from his seat, casually walking towards the exit.

"Will it work in time?"

"I don't know if it'll be _in time_-"

"But it will work," Aqua interrupts, remembering lessons from the Master. "I've never heard of a Keyblade breaking before, but I know it's an extension of your heart. It can never really abandon you or betray you. It even bonds with those you trust." She thinks of her own, sitting somewhere waiting for her to come back. She thinks of the Defender, willing to protect her like a father would. "Riku's heart isn't broken. He probably just needs to listen to it better."

It's a good feeling to comfort someone else, seeing Riku's smile as he waves off Sora's concerns.

"See? That's pretty much the gist of what Yen Sid said." He continues to eye her, before adding. "We can help you find Ventus, but only if we leave early tomorrow morning."

"In the meantime…" Sora stands up extends his hand to her. "I'm going to take you to see Traverse Town."

"Excuse me?" she stammers.

"I think Terra would have really wanted you to be happy on your first day free," he says with an excitable grin, like he's been told this directly and is fulfilling a favor. "Not pouting over Heartless."

Riku chuckles. "As long as you're back by seven."

Sora's smile deteriorates as quickly as he can summon it. "Why seven? Kefka only shows up at eleven."

A Heartless that cares about punctuality is even more bizarre.

"And they want us ready by nine," Riku says.

"So we'll be back by nine."

"Except you're always late."

"But you're going to cut her night short." Sora drops his jaw, then gets determined. "Well, if she doesn't enjoy herself, then _you_ owe her a nice time."

Aqua doesn't know Sora well, he just seems earnest to her. She would have never figured out something is off until she sees Riku's expression, who is close to asking his best friend _what's gotten into you?_

Instead he repeats, "_seven_, Sora," before disappearing out the door.

Sora doesn't admit defeat, wrinkling his nose with a smug look on his face. "He really means eight. C'mon."

He grabs her wrist and leads her outside the hotel, heading south. The streets are louder than she imagines.

"What if he doesn't come back in time?" she asks.

Sora is the kind of person to keep a smile even when he's being serious, like his personal motto is that optimism is the better coping mechanism. "That's why I'm staying. But Riku's a genius, he'll be back before we know it."

They arrive at what he calls the first district, a quaint area far older in its architecture than the second, where the hotel is. So charming and humble, in fact, that the inhabitants try their hardest to keep its history and not let it deteriorate into a war zone. Shops and old homes built with trustworthy wood, earnest stone, and warm brick. Lanterns that will be lit at night to lead everyone home. The town is also an obvious example of how this world is a refuge for others – no one here looks the same. Some people are naturally tall, like trees. Others are half her height and roam freely with Moogles. Some look human, others have animal heads.

What reminds her the strongest that she's alive is the _smell_. Warm but bitter, an old memory like a faint morning by the fireplace in the winter.

"Is that coffee?" She breathes deeply.

A café built by the warmest painted wood is close by, with several people crowded together to discuss and complain about _Kefka_, their bad luck, and comparing when they are scheduled to board a gummi ship next.

"You want some?" Sora approaches an outdoor menu, written out in chalk.

She's broke. "I don't have any-"

"I'll pay for it." He begins to search his pockets. "Which one do you want?"

She's allowed to want now? She should probably be polite and decline, but accepting his offer would make him happier.

"Blended with chocolate, please."

Steam floats out from the cup the barista hands to her, the shape of leaf decorating the surface of the foam. She takes a deeper whiff of the aroma, giving it barely a chance to cool down before directing it to her lips. Hot, creamy, delicious. Much better than the dry sandwich from this morning.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Sora fumbling with some sort of hand device, angling it at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a picture." It's the funniest-looking camera she's ever seen. "When we get him back, we can show Terra what you did on your first day."

Sora then angles the thing (a phone apparently) to include himself in the shot (he calls it a _selfie_) and take one together with her. She makes sure to smile some.

He takes lots of photos of her throughout the town, particularly around the fountain in the plaza they pass through. There's always better light or better angles to improve the picture, and _why pass up the opportunity for the perfect shot when there's this beautiful water spurting into the air behind her? Terra would love all of these. _

They finally reach the fourth district when Sora realizes he's filled up the memory on his phone. This section is built on a hill, all the stores leading downward via stairways. Strings of colored light direct the passageways, most of them connected to a tall watchtower at the center of the district, the tallest for miles despite that it's on lower ground. He promises that it's more beautiful at night when all the lights are lit, and she believes him.

Street blocks of dresses and jewelry scatter the area like a store catalogue, and while she can't buy anything, it's nice just to see what kind of artistry people are capable of. Some of the stores are closed, and through enough eavesdropping, she learns that these owners were chosen and allowed to board the gummi ship earlier today, to escape _Kefka_.

Others continue manning their stores, some of them truly believing in Noctis and Garnet's leadership, that they will be kept safe by the people who care about them most. After all, can they imagine having to pack up and start their business all over again in another world?

Sora suddenly remembers that he has to buy some rare ingredients – spices that hopes traders will bring to this world because _only the stars know what kind of world I'd have to visit to find them otherwise_ – for a friend waiting for him. Aqua nearly follows him inside when she catches sight of several flower carts sitting idly outside a closed door.

The flower shop is closed, and the owner has left a note: _Please, take what you'd like to brighten up your evening._ Like a blessing to occupy the mind of an anxious civilian who is acting like _Kefka_ is death knocking on their door.

White, five petals. These flowers catch her attention the most, looking so much like the wild ones that grew throughout the mountain valleys in the spring back at the Land of Departure. She doesn't remember what they smell like.

Slowly, she leans forward and breathes in. They don't smell like anything she recognizes.

"Here," Sora's voice interrupts her, "you should touch this."

He throws a large, stuffed bear into her face before she can respond, big enough to make her feel like she's trying to hug a tree. But it's silky soft and satisfyingly squishy, and she hasn't felt anything like this in years.

"You like flowers?" he asks when he finally notices what she has been doing. "You gotta see the greenhouse then."

He yanks her by the wrist again, leading downhill and through alleys until they reach the fifth district, a smaller are where a tremendous glass building takes center stage, the clouds overhead graying.

A smell surrounds this district that reminds her of the wilderness. He doesn't give her enough time to pinpoint what it is when he pushes her inside, and her nostrils are invaded by an aroma of humidity, grass, and flora.

Two stories tall, the greenhouse packs a museum of gardens that all look like they could have come from different worlds. Sora takes his time to read through their introductory signs, and bless his heart for trying so hard to keep her entertained, even though the sound of spattering on the window is what is stealing her attention.

It starts in groups throwing themselves at the glass, until a barrage comes down and doesn't stop. It's such a sweet and hypnotizing sound.

"Aqua?"

She hasn't even realized that he's stopped talking. She tosses the bear back at him. "Keep him dry for me."

"Wait!"

He's too late, with Aqua chasing after the rain as she stands outside by herself, the townspeople all scurrying to find shelter. It's so cold that it makes the hairs at the back of her neck stand, and by reaction she partly lets go of a laugh. It has never rained in the Realm of Darkness, not once.

Has it really been that long ago when it rained in the mountains, when the three of them were locked in a water fight, splashing puddles into each other's faces and Ventus was the one who jumped on them and made the biggest waves?

Terra would wrap his arms around her, with half a purpose to wrestle her to submission and half an intention to keep her warm and dry, even though his body did a terrible job of doing so and they both got soaked to the bone anyway. But she preferred this over using an umbrella.

As much as she appreciates Sora's time and careful attention, Terra should be the one to give her company. He deserves to feel the storm and be alive with her.

Cold drops trickled down her face and her eyes burned them hot, but she's so wet that no one would be able to tell the difference between her tears and the rain. Less than a day and she's already broken the promise she made to herself not to cry over this more.

All she wants is her family back, and she gives herself one more promise that she will one day dance in the rain again with them. Failure is not an option this time.


	3. Chapter 3: Crazy

**A/N:**

**Ahhhh, I've never meant to ignore this particular fic for so long. ^^;; In all honesty, aside from so many other things going on in my life (I went on hiatus and am due for another, I was dedicated to other projects and I just got accepted into another zine ;-; and there was my stupid, broken computer which is now replaced! :D), I really dreaded writing this one. When I announced that I was splitting this story in two fics, I knew I dug a grave for myself. There is no way to fix this chapter without rewriting the first one entirely, but I figured it was much more important to get started Aqua on her journey and I need this loose end tied as soon as possible. If you're new to this story, I'm sorry this chapter is so bad - I'm totally aware, I promise. I've tried my hardest to make this side-quest as sensible as possible.**

* * *

His heart beats hard, fast, irregular, and it's about to collapse.

He doesn't hear how ragged his breath is, running as desperately as he is, and he ignores how much his muscles are screaming for rest.

Then there's the headache. That's the one thing Terra is mindful of.

He trips.

The Realm of Darkness doesn't make it easy, not with how rough it _shapes _its terrain, like it tripped him on purpose. Cobblestones not fitting well together. Pits in the dirt. Rocks hidden in tall grass where he won't notice.

Flashes of light burst somewhere far behind. It's too foggy to see what's going on. Terra spits sweat out of his lips.

There are eyes - a pair wedged right next to a pebble, near enough to grab his fingers. Another in the hollow trunk of a tree. And one more in the distance, in the direction he was heading, and now he has to choose another way and pray he doesn't fall off a cliff.

Behind him, he hears _bubbling_, the same sickly sound that always announces the arrival of Heartless.

It simmers across his back and he grabs whatever landed on him and throws it as hard as he can and he summons Ends of the Earth -

But can't. He hasn't been able to, not since he left the beach.

Not since he saw a flash of light and Aqua was gone, sent home to her freedom like she deserves. Not since some tall men in dark, hooded cloaks appeared out of nowhere in the sandy shores. Organization members. They wanted to kidnap him.

Terra had to choose between waiting for his friends to come back in dangerous waters, or running away.

When he can turn back into Xehanort at any moment.

He chose to run.

And now he's surrounded without a Keyblade. He thinks about Xemnas, and even though he's tired, and even though his stomach hurts, he takes that brief memory of what it feels like to be _numb_, to be detached and disheartened, and waves his hands in a sweep against the earth and flies them upward.

A barrier shoots erect - but not just any protective shield, an offensive one. The type that electrifies the Heartless that ram into it, and sends them flying backwards. The kind only a Nobody can summon.

He conjures more - two by his side, another behind him - to force these damn things to _back off_, and he escapes when he's had enough -

Tripping again when the Realm tricks a hill to look like a straight path and _oops_, there he goes, falling in air, rolling against dry dirt and tumbling until he finally halts.

It's dark down here. The headache will split his scalp open.

"No," he grumbles, running fingers through his hair and he wants to rip the strands off. "I can't control-"

His limbs go rigid. "No," he says again. He wants to make sure Xehanort hears him loud and clear.

Terra cannot summon his armor anymore for that matter, since Xehanort has clouded both in darkness. They should be in arms' reach, waiting peacefully in his heart, ready to come at his will… but it's like his Keyblade can't see or hear him either.

He manages a small sob when he loses control of his arms - which are quite literally, moving on their own to grip at his legs.

The taste of loss is bitter, as prickly as the tree roots ripping out of the earth and tangling around him. It's like the Realm sees what he's going through, and wants to point and laugh. They squeeze, tightening so his bones can't reply, and he's left to allow them to drag him.

But light is warm and always there - because without it, there wouldn't be any shadows. It shines like a halo, making the roots writhe and wrinkle away, letting him go, letting him breathe. It eases his headache, which he knows won't last forever, but finally… relief.

"Mickey?"

Two large, yellow shoes - big enough to belong to a clown - step in front of him, a pair of comically round ears leering over him with a huge smile. Mickey is the physical embodiment of a hearth, of everything that makes children happy in the outside world, a complete mismatched reflection of the twisted underground of the Realm.

"Slipped, did ya?" he squeaked.

"Maybe," Terra scoffs, just able to move a finger to trace the dirt. It feels so real.

As real as Aqua's skin when he held her - he _held _her. That was real. And she escaped. Terra considers this a success, a wish fulfilled, to stay behind so she could taste food again.

… Terra didn't even get a chance to tell her about his feelings. He chickened out in the last minute.

She's smart. She'll free Ven, too. And Terra will drag Xehanort to drown in the darkness together.

If he can manage to keep control of his body that is.

Mickey's Keyblade now dons some new chinks and chips.

If they continue this way, neither of them will last much longer. Terra has already woken up a couple of times, right in the middle of a duel with Mickey, a silver Keyblade high in the air and ready to strike, only for Terra to realize what he's holding and drops it. It's flashes of moments that in reality may have lasted only minutes but seem much longer. If Xehanort keeps hacking away, Mickey's Keyblade will break.

And then Terra won't have anyone left to help him.

But it hurts, that headache.

"Chin up, Terra," Mickey says, surveying where they should head to next.

The fog dissipates and gives them two paths: one paved with a line of lanterns illuminating the way, the other a rocky uphill hike into a forest.

"I… need to rest," Terra breathes, wanting to take back the words. If he rests, he'll lose control again.

"Aww, Terra, don't worry."

"I'll hurt you again." He chokes on a whimper, the headache roaring this time. "I don't know how Aqua survived years of this…"

Hands take hold of his shoulders, and this small mouse, barely as tall as his knees, takes Terra's entire weight onto his shoulders to sit him up. "Remember, I got ya."

"What are we going to do? I can't summon my Keyblade anymore and I just don't-"

Terra doesn't know what to say. _I just don't know if I can keep waiting for anyone to come back?_

"Well," Mickey muses, "we'll have to keep moving."

Thanks, Captain Obvious.

"I don't know how you do it, either."

"I don't have Xehanort weighing me down, and I think that makes you pretty strong. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"This place doesn't make you sad?"

"If I think about it…" A frown on Mickey's face is ill-fitting. "But we don't have time for that."

Funny, since the Realm will be sure to give them all the time it has to offer. The Realm will be sure to give them reasons to stay.

Maybe it's darkness creeping in, or maybe Terra had enough of reality to taste - it's sour.

"I don't see how anyone is going to find us," he says.

Mickey is silent for a moment.

"I had an old friend," he starts, "who used to have a motto he lived his life by."

He holds a fist up, and releases each of his four fingers with every rule: "'_First, think. Second, dream. Third, believe. And finally, dare_.' To honor him, I have to believe that every step we take will get us closer to freedom."

As if to prove a point, he faces Terra, and finishes with, "I think that's what helped Aqua last this long down here."

Condensed simply, those all sound like tenants of a Keyblade wielder.

"Was your friend a gentle man?" Terra asks.

Mickey smiles with a shrug to his shoulder. "Ohoho, he also said something to the effect of, '_You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you_.'"

"... It makes you stronger." How often has his own Master said the same thing? The Realm will kick him when he's already down, and he's supposed to stand on his own two feet and carry on like it doesn't hurt.

"Something like that." Mickey points to the rocky uphill hike. "My heart tells me this will be the safer way to go. C'mon Terra. How's about we keep going? Our friends think about us all the time, and they will light our way."

Terra grunts like his legs hate him, and he rolls his neck. It helps soothe the headache.

"Okay."

It starts with the suggestion by a simple-minded mouse, and Terra gets on his feet, fighting off dizziness, to face more odd nights.

* * *

The clock still hasn't struck ten and if the way her legs are shaking are any indication of how… is _annoyed _is the right word? Anxious?

Impatient. Aqua keeps crossing her legs and checks the time, and for a second she thinks she's back in the Realm of Darkness when she swears the minute hand went backwards.

The lights in the lobby are dim, the carpet as red as a deep wound. The chair she's lounging in is comfortable at least, but it nags at her back and she's desperate to move. She's still in the hotel, her heart torn by her duty to the people she swore to protect, nowhere near Ventus, nowhere near Terra, nowhere near anywhere she truthfully wants to be. If it continues to tear in opposite directions, will her heart break in two?

Rydia is also slouched in a lounge chair of her own, and has a radio playing, the static clearing to the lullaby of an accordion and violin. Their story is a long trek through a city filled with the lights of a harp, guided by the sad, gentle canals of a tuba. The violin abandons the accordion, and the tuba reassures the accordion, and it's lonely until they all reunite powerfully at the end of a long night.

Rydia is dressed stunning as always, her empire sleeves in gold trimming piling on top of the floor as she braids and unbraids her long green hair, a gentle smile on her face as she eases into her chair, losing herself to the song.

Everyone around Aqua is either doing two things: hustling to wherever they need to be - the infirmary, the battlefield, to their families - or, they linger, living out the seconds until Kefka comes.

Until _Kefka _comes: that is what is on everyone's mind, and Aqua can't bear to pass more than a second of thought to it.

But she'll stand corrected when the clock finally hits ten, and after ten strikes from the clock tower, here come the sirens.

They wail at first, getting louder which every passing vibration until she can't hear anything else, and she feels Rydia getting stiff right next to her. The sirens keep blaring.

They quiet, only to come back around and Aqua realizes the town is desperate because there won't be a place that could possibly escape the sound. They need her help. Terra and Ven need her help. Too many people need her help.

_Focus, Aqua._

Silence, and her heart still drums in her ear.

"I swear that clock tower is haunted," Rydia says, slowly letting out breath as if letting it go all at once would make too much noise. The music sounds softer, as if the sirens had intimidated it, and Rydia leans over to bring her ears closer. "It always knows when to interrupt the best parts."

When Aqua stares at her with uneasy eyes, Rydia continues, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Aqua never wants to hear them again.

The bustling energy in the hotel took pause during the sirens, and is now at full speed again - maybe even faster, knowing the minutes are ticking. Kefka arrives at eleven. One hour.

Cid barges through, keeping the double doors to the lobby open with a lit cigarette pursed in his lips, and a scowl worse than his usual attitude. "Incomin'."

In comes a tall, blond man with ridiculously spiky hair, and a giant blade strapped to his back (giant is an understatement), dragging carts of wooden boxes, throwing them open to reveal potions - as much as a store inventory.

Aqua recognizes him faintly from the night she came through the Door to Light... and suddenly she feels that twist in her gut, a sweaty coldness that only comes with what she must be most familiar with at this point.

Darkness. This man has the trace of it… and Cid is helping him like no one is in danger and Rydia is welcoming him like he's a friend.

The man pauses his hyper-focus when he sees Aqua, the severe look on his face softening with… pity.

"You're Aqua, right?" he asks her.

"That's right." She hates the way he's looking at her. "And you're…?"

"Cloud." Here it comes. "I'm sorry about Terra."

She has to remind herself that people mean well (and once she frees Terra, everyone will stop trying to apologize to her).

"Thank you," she says and she's relieved she doesn't sound ungrateful.

Cloud looks away at first, minorly distracted by Cid's grumbling about how they only have one ram left for the fight. Then he stands up, approaching Aqua.

"I was really torn up when I heard," Cloud says, uneasy like it's weird for him to be so open-hearted, "but I respect his decision. He has a good head on his shoulders."

Then he extends his hand to her. "Welcome to the team, Aqua."

Cloud has a gentle half-smile on his face, and darkness extends its hand, expecting her to shake it.

She's expected to be polite and she tries - she really wants to try - but her hand limps in his firm shake. Cloud gets the message, dropping his own and turning over his shoulder. "I'll be at the site," he tells Cid. "Hurry it up."

Cid groans, and saying out of ear shot, "Kid swears he's a hot shot."

Aqua rolls her lips inward.

"You alright?" Rydia asks, leaning forward.

"He has darkness." It's impolite to say, but Aqua has little patience to play with the dark.

Rydia cocks an eyebrow, her gray eyes searching for a proper explanation. "Your point? We all harbor darkness within ourselves."

"That is true, but… it's not normal to be able to sense it."

Rydia sits back, nodding to what she's understanding. "I suppose Cloud has been through so much, considering… what I don't understand is why it has to be such a black and white issue."

"What do you mean?"

"Where I come from, darkness isn't considered to be evil, at least among mages. We have white and black magic, but it has more to do with how you wield them. Darkness alone says nothing of your character."

Then Rydia smiles, to prove her point. "I trust Cloud with my life."

Aqua supposes she's being unfair - after all, her reflection has proven to her countless times that there are cracks within her very own heart, and it's unrealistic to believe they have all been sealed and darkness-proof.

There's been a lot of nights when Aqua had wondered if she should end it, pierce her chest with her Master's Keyblade and let the ocean take her. What darker sadness could there be besides that?

And then there's Terra… he has darkness, and maybe it's strong but it's always outshined by his spirit. He will always be a good person.

"Cloud, the sad hero," Cid gruffs, pulling potions out onto tables so everyone who passes by can easily pack them. "Basque in his greatness when he feels sorry for you."

Rydia takes a sleeve her mouth to cover her chuckles. "Where is this coming from?"

"He's more depressin' than an opera." He takes a puff of smoke. "But eh, I can respect 'im. He gets shit done."

Cid glances over to the hallway, suddenly switching gears and gives the two girls a fair warning: "Look sharp."

It's for Garnet's arrival, who is followed closely by Lulu, the organizer of the orphanage... So she hasn't followed the children to safety after all.

Garnet walks like she's on air, the most feminine Aqua has ever seen, her head held high like she's not as small as she really is, her hair and her bubble sleeves floating like there's a breeze that only graces her presence. Her heart is determined and open, embracing what's to come.

Lulu has her arms crossed, her face contorted in annoyance and a touch of impeccable, heavy makeup, her fur and leather-trimmed gown trailing long behind her. She walks with responsibility, but her heart doesn't want to accept what's going on around her.

"You're going to find me hard to submit, Your Highness," Lulu says, her voice as serious as her disposition.

Garnet whips around. "What you propose is preposterous."

"Your point?" Lulu scoffs. "I didn't stay behind to let you do what you please. I'm speaking for what is best for everyone else."

Garnet huffs. As if to end the conversation, she pretends to organize through potions even though they are all the same color, handing over some to Lulu, taking more for the battle ahead.

Lulu apprehensively accepts, and proposes something: "When the children want to win an argument, they play a game called _Snap_. Winner gets the final word."

"Is that so?"

"It's a game of magical prowess. Hold a coin flat in between both palms, and you fight to keep it."

Garnet straightens up, understanding _exactly_ the kind of filibustering Lulu is trying to do, and extends her hand, gesturing to be given something. "Let's have it, then."

Out of Lulu's bra comes a large silver coin. She holds the coin together with Garnet's palm, like they are slapping it in place. Visually, nothing seems to be happening as their faces lose themselves to concentration, but Aqua recognizes the energy in the air: there is magic bustling in between their fingertips, and whoever exercises more willpower gets to keep the coin.

"Now," Lulu says and they pull hands apart like they're avoiding harm.

It takes a moment to process, and Garnet flips her fingers to reveal that the coin has stayed with her. Whether it's beginner's luck or she's that more skillful, Aqua doesn't know enough to figure.

"I've won," Garnet announces.

"Except you've lost," Lulu says with dejection, with concern, with stern ambition. She hovers over to Rydia's side.

Rydia has cast her eyes downward, avoiding the game altogether, a profound look of guilt betraying her need to keep a straight face.

Three women standing on one side of the room with Garnet opposing them.

It's enough for Cid, who's sitting on his own away from the drama, to throw his hands in the air, as if saying this isn't worth the trouble. "Women."

"What is going on?" Aqua asks.

Her interruption makes Garnet jump, but the princess ignores the question.

So Lulu answers, her tone as exasperated as her eye roll. "Garnet thinks she can get away with sacrificing herself."

"You haven't left me with much choice," Garnet says, sending a glance over to Rydia. "I have been blessed with more time to be there for those in need of me. And yet, I have to do what is best for my people, and I cannot sit idly by to watch you play the sacrifice on my behalf."

Aqua stands up. "I don't understand what you're implying." Except she does understand. She just refuses that there's any justification to it.

Garnet breathes, ignoring Lulu's scoff. "Kefka demands female mages… Turn them into Heartless or else it will continue to haunt us every single night, and I cannot have this when we are in the middle of evacuations. I _must _ensure the safety of my peers."

Garnet then holds a hand to her heart. "Speak of nothing to Noctis. He'd never leave me out of his sight if he knew."

Hands gripped into themselves, shaking her head, Aqua groans and doesn't know what to say. "Riku never…" _Said anything to me._

Just to stay behind and protect the hotel, out of real harm's way without giving her a choice.

So Aqua sets her sights. "Kefka is supposed to come every _other _night, right?"

"That is correct."

"So you'll buy one night with your life?"

"...Yes. We are the last ones." She gestures to herself, Lulu, and Rydia.

The entire room is quiet, weighed down by the severity of what was said.

They are the last ones, and does it matter really which order they get taken out, one by one?

It's not fair. It's ridiculous, and Aqua, Keyblade Master, is not going to tolerate it.

"Your Highness," she says, "I don't mean to show disrespect, but I think you should listen more to your peers."

Rydia leans forward, like she's looking for a speck of hope. Lulu thanks some force out there that _someone_ _around_ _here_ is speaking reason.

"What would have me do, Master Aqua?" Garnet asks gently. "Shall I be content in my path to survival while those who've paved it for me waste away?"

Aqua swallows hard. The job of a Keybearer will sometimes have easy missions, and sometimes impossible ones, but they are all equal in the importance of saving lives. This decision is a no-brainer.

Even if they buy just one more night of peace, Terra is rotting and Aqua has to get going. Ventus is waiting and she promised…

"If Kefka wants a female mage, I'll give it one," she says, starting to head to the exit.

Garnet drops her jaw. "Are you mad? In your condition?"

"I don't have a condition." Aqua stops at the ornately carved wooden doors, and turns to face everyone in the room. "Cid, can you take my place in protecting the hotel?"

It's not just Aqua and the other mages squaring themselves against Garnet's judgment - Cid proudly dusts off his shoulders, nodding. "Better than facing that crazy clown."

_Crazy_ _clown_ doesn't seem to cut it as an appropriate nickname for the terror everyone around Aqua is feeling.

Aqua glances over to Rydia, who is still healing from a wound. "You need to always be by her side. Rydia, are you okay with this?"

Rydia has fire in her eyes, grabbing her longstaff and using it to keep herself standing. "I don't need to move much to destroy Heartless. I'm strong, and I'll stay."

"You're either really naive, or really powerful," Lulu says to Aqua. "I'll take my chances. I'll follow." She picks her potions like she's heard good news, taking her place across the room.

Garnet stands silent, defeated, with an expression that makes Aqua feel horrible, as though the Keyblade Master is really asking the princess to commit to something that is extraordinarily difficult and painful.

This morning, she had such a bright light within her that her healing touch shone white. Now it's dim, her eyes an empty black.

"It's my job to protect you," Aqua says, attempting to comfort her.

And Garnet only stares, like she doesn't believe it. Like she's faced this too many times, and knows from experience that they will all lose.

* * *

By the way she breaknecks towards the third district, Aqua can feel the clock ticking, even though the tower is quiet.

She takes long strides, stepping on the occasional puddle, leaving a poor Garnet to jog with her short legs in order to keep up. Traverse Town is decorated in lights, but it's otherwise a vacation town for ghosts. No one to dream about fancy jewelry, to admire the latest fashion, to salivate at the aroma of tonight's dinner.

The third district would have been a sight if it wasn't already halfway-destroyed - debris piling on colorful electrical wiring, lanterns that have been bent in half, a water fountain that has been blown open, and apartment homes with all the lights off, wind blowing through curtains. No one lives here anymore.

In the place of a bustling modern district are a bunch of wooden crates, tossed around between people to gather potions and weapons. ...It's a lot of fighters for one Heartless. Aqua would make the fourth Keyblade wielder up against this thing.

A part of her has this sudden apprehension to take another step forward - these people follow her now, swayed by her confidence that all of their worries will end tonight.

What if she has given them false hope?

Could she cope with it?

It's cold. Someone is watching her.

Aqua recognizes this feeling, since she's been faced with it for the better part of twelve years. There's already Heartless here, and she looks every which way to see if she could spot them hiding among the shadows.

Whatever is there is already studying the people gathering here, honing on the way Garnet and Lulu stride towards the middle of the square, pleased by how frantic people are rushing to finish preparations.

She whips around to find the clock tower in the distance, a great vantage point for anyone to stalk from. It's twenty past ten, but…

It's very cold.

_Kefka is already here. It's just waiting for the time to start._

It's a sick situation, Kefka twirling these terrorized people in its fingers.

Aqua's expecting to find a certain pair of yellow eyes that would normally come from feral demons, but a different pair perks up when he sees her arriving to the third district.

And they belong to none other than Lea. She is surprised that he even cares that much.

Or maybe he's just really dramatic, but something about the twitch of his lips tells her that he isn't exactly pleased with her presence there.

"I didn't expect to see you here," he says with a smirk, feigning surprise and she doesn't know why he tries so hard to plant certain impressions on other people.

Aqua has no other answer for him except the obvious: "I have to help."

The facade in his eyes flicker out like a lighter turning off. He places his hands on his waist, letting himself be more honest, yet still keeping a hot air of distance between them. "Are you sure it's a good idea for you to fight something this malicious?"

The nerve of him. "I've faced more nightmares than anyone has ever slept with. I can take care of myself."

"Even after what Terra went through to get you back? Do you think that's fair to him?"

Aqua stammers. It isn't fair to drag Terra into this… "I don't need your permission to fight."

She leaves him with his mouth wide-open, searching for words and failing to find them.

Which only leaves her hearing the words, "She's just as dense as _him_!" fading behind her. It makes her smirk. Terra hasn't changed - when he has his mind set, he can become the worst kind of stubborn, as immovable as a boulder.

On her way to the middle of the square, past some men mapping out the upper levels where long-range fighters should situate, Aqua finds two particular individuals in one of the highest balconies who take _way_ too much interest in watching her.

A well-dressed man, impeccably so, his silk sleeves a clean white like he's never been to battle, bracelets like he appreciates the finer things in life, and an exquisite embroidered vest like he can afford it, and a rifle sitting casually on his shoulder. He's not the one who initially took an interest in her - he only does so when his partner whispers to him about her arrival.

Said partner is a dark-skinned woman, with long, stark white hair that reaches her thighs, and jackrabbit ears stretching high into the sky out of her helmet. It only makes her look taller, taller than the well-dressed man, taller than Terra. Something about this woman makes Aqua wonder if she's seen her before, but this is no time to sit and think about it - that can wait until later. This rabbit-woman immediately takes notice of Aqua, tightening her grip on her bow.

Now there are two more pairs of eyes watching Aqua's back as she continues onward, out of ear-shot of whatever their opinions are.

Aqua comes across Cloud and Noctis, the latter with a clipboard filled with a checklist to make sure everything is in order. Occasionally he asks Cloud about the setup. Garnet and Lulu are already making laps around the square to check in on their sole wooden ram - Aqua gets the sense that Garnet is avoiding her, and Lulu is only following to make sure she doesn't do anything drastic.

Without really looking at Cloud in the eye, Aqua reaches over to hold Noctis' elbow firmly. "Make sure to keep an eye on Garnet," she says softly.

Noctis stammers before getting grim, and he's disappointed. He looks over his shoulder, where he sees Garnet cheerfully speak to a man like nothing is wrong and no foul plans are being made.

"Make that four eyes," Cloud says, smirking, and Aqua can't bring herself to smile back.

"Thanks for the warning," Noctis says. "She never learns."

… That's the weird thing about the people here. There's so much sadness, in Noctis' eyes, in Cloud's, in Garnet's… and they try smiling anyway like they're tricking themselves. Aqua doesn't remember if she's ever really smiled the entire time she's been in the Realm of Darkness.

Maybe once, when she saw apparitions of Terra and Ventus, but when they disappeared, she reasoned that she was being too hopeful. That it was never really truly a smile, because she can only give one around the people she loves. Not ghosts.

How grateful she is that a super-friendly face comes running up to her, bright (huge) yellow shoes splish-splashing through puddles to greet her, Donald and Goofy closeby.

"What are you doing here?" Sora asks, skidding to a stop.

Aqua really wishes people would stop questioning her drive. "Where is Riku?"

Sora takes a pause, his eyes darting for a moment towards the ground. "He's not here yet."

So it's not four Keybearers against Kefka, but three.

A faint thought nags at the back of her mind again. "He never told me about the female mages."

Sora's eyes widen, like he forgot that detail. But he lets it melt away into a small smile. "Riku hides stuff from me, too, sometimes."

"You've fought it before? Kefka?" Aqua searches his eyes for the truth, and she realizes that she actually sounds apprehensive.

She could fail this mission. It wouldn't be the first.

"Ah, phooey!" Donald scoffs, waving his arms like he's shooing a gnat. He's in a really bad mood, and how can he not when he's stuck here for duty's sake just like everyone else? "It's just a clown."

Sora brightens up, a triumphant fist in his palm. "We have a good team here."

His smile is ill-fitting because it's genuine. Nothing like the others who try to hide their fear, but he makes his out of immense faith. Sora's light is powerful, and… rare, Aqua thinks.

"We do," she says, remembering Ven's smile. Something about Sora reminds Aqua that there are reasons to look forward to happier times.

But everything pleasant is short-lived, and maybe that's a sad fact of life.

Someone screams. Points to the clock tower.

The minute hand speeds up, gaining velocity towards the top of the eleventh hour.

It takes three strikes of the bells for everyone to decide whether this is a joke or it's actually happening early.

Two more strikes for Noctis to yell, "Get aggressive! Stay alive!"

Three more for Garnet to whisper a spell that shines a light upon every single person in the area, and another two for Aqua to witness a faint crystal wrap and spin around her before fading away.

A protection spell, something completely unique and rare. Garnet's light is pure and blinding.

One more and it strikes eleven. Ten minutes to do the job or Kefka walks for another night.

The bubbling that signals the arrival of Heartless gargles, a dark mass growing and growing and growing to the size of a building, before an enormous clown steps down, shaking the ground underneath its mismatched shoes and socks.

It laughs, piercing like a speaker is about to blow her ears. Aqua clutches her heart, protecting it from ripping out of her chest - everyone else is gripping their heads like they're containing a massive migraine.

Kefka leans forward just to take a peek at Aqua, its stupid-looking collar a vomit-inducing mix of yellow and red, three swords carried on each shoulder, its white mask welded onto its dark face, bright yellow eyes in circles wide and without lids, a smile painted and screwed together -

And two huge gashes diagonally across its shield of a face, exposing the skin of a shadow underneath.

They all have been saying this thing is impenetrable. Sure.

Aqua summons her Master's Defender.

The clown's hands shiver, and its jaw widens just like a machine - it lets out a screech that sounds like gears out of control, getting louder and louder like Kefka is offended by her weapon.

And it cuts off.

A cleaver flies into its face, knocking it out of place. There's no way someone has that kind of strength but there is Noctis appearing out of nowhere in its tail, like the weapon is a destination. He strikes and Kefka barely blocks it with its forearm. Noctis throws his cleaver elsewhere, and wherever it appears he warps to. He sends a spear to strike Kefka's shoulder. Disappears. A sword, and then Noctis again, attempting to jab the clown in the eye.

Either way, Noctis stays up high, distracting the clown from doing anything else, like a fly determined to be annoying.

"Light!" Sora yells.

He beams, a force bursting out before racing back to his body, and suddenly he illuminates white and takes two Keyblades (_Two_? Aqua can't think about it right now), sending himself flying high, his weapons a passion to be reckoned with.

They are both heavy hitters, Noctis and Sora, black and white, one sneaky, the other forward, both brave.

Aqua has much to catch up to.

If it's aggressiveness they want, she has plenty of it. Her magic swirls around her as she charges forward, drawing her thoughts inward to her belly, letting her body twirl faster and faster to hurl the energy out in whips and circles.

Donald and Lulu tag team, throwing lightning strikes, icicles, fireballs on the top of the clown's head. It really, _really_ hates having its face touched, and between those spells and Sora and Noctis zipping around like insects, there's already enough distractions.

Cloud thrusts at its metal calves with his giant sword, an impressive power from below to add to the frenzy.

The well-dressed man and the rabbit-woman take calculated shots from afar, aiming for the eyes and only when the clown has an opening.

Lea also takes that cue and throws firey pot shots from afar even though he's a Keyblade wielder (maybe it's smarter to keep a distance).

Goofy is a little all over the place, but his attack, inspired by a tornado, hits the spot when it does, joining Aqua in the mess she's created.

That's… ten fighters at least against one Heartless and it doesn't do much.

Kefka instead takes a moment to just… stand there and take the heat like it isn't bothered. It can't be this easy.

It's not. Like it suddenly woke up, Kefka stomps the ground, and with it comes a roundabout of explosions that start at the rooftops right behind it and circle the entire third district, tossing debris into the ground and causing several people to succumb to coughing fits.

Garnet immediately checks person to person, her light shining to heal. Noctis is already at her side, and she pretends not to notice.

Cloud starts yelling commands to get the ram ready. He's trying to maneuver it and several men crowd together with him to make it move faster. "Aim it toward our bombs. Let's send it back to darkness!"

As though Kefka heard him, it sprints directly towards Cloud and his group of fighters, as if ready to run them flat. They all scream.

Sora scrambles for the feet with his double-weaponry and _misses - _just because Kefka likes to hop and skip around.

The clown freezes before it takes the last step, one knee high in the ground like it's deciding to squish them, and a hand outstretched - and balls into a fist.

Aqua expects another explosion, and the fighters scream again in fear.

The fist makes a honk - like a toy car.

Kefka laughs and everyone hurts, hands gripping heads to ease the headache, Aqua holding her heart still.

Now Kefka ignores the men it has targeted.

It instead whips around and with that same balled fist, it throws a blast of dark energy at the group of fighters on the opposite side - throwing bodies, slamming doors, disheveling potions and ripping weapons from their holders.

Aqua stumbles from the quakes, and she sees freed hearts, softly glowing, floating gently as the bodies disappear - three of them at least, heading towards the sky.

"No…"

Three lives lost already. She's failing.

Lulu is on the ground, clutching a Moogle doll closely to her chest as Lea holds her by the shoulders. Garnet is frantically throwing light to various people. The only healer in the group.

Both female mages are okay for now.

Kefka loses interest in Cloud's group - who are still preparing the only ram - to strut across the square like no one is watching, right toward a vulnerable Lulu.

Not like she's the type to get intimidated. She raises a fist close to her face, a succession of explosions slapping Kefka in the face and keeping it at bay. She's shaking it like she's grabbing hold onto something stronger than her and the explosions keep going until she has no choice but to let go.

Here is where Lea follows her patterns, but he's not as skilled at the Keyblade. Blessed with deception, definitely, his movements just as unpredictable as Kefka's, throwing fireballs to distract the clown like tossing bees, only to look like he'll dodge in one direction but he really dodges another.

All to keep the clown's attention away from Lulu.

"Cloud!" Lea yells. "Now!"

Cloud and two men push the ram with all their mind, Cloud yelling about making sure to hit it from the southeast direction or they'll miss the planted bomb.

Then the ram loses a wheel. Dilapidates onto the ground.

Kefka takes notice. It always smiles at the expense of others.

A loud whistle, and the sound of water. A wave. A tsunami, really. The well-dressed man blew the whistle, summoning a massive wave to overflow the district and head straight for Kefka.

A new ram, built by exquisitely rare water magic.

This is no time to admire, but an opportunity and Aqua takes it, throwing a trail of ice onto the water as it passes by her and she skates it up, up, and up. When she gets to the crest, she spreads the ice all over the thrash of ripples, turning them into steely icicles, straight into Kefka's torso, right onto the building behind it.

She missed the planted bomb but she's got it pinned. Standing on an icy wave, face to face with the smiling beast. It struggles against the ice, and she readies her Keyblade.

"Time to take care of you," she says.

Kefka stops, leaning its head forward with whatever movement it has left to stare right into her eyes, and even though it's programmed to make only one expression, it almost looks like it's smiling wider.

Aqua lowers her Keyblade. Kefka isn't in front of her anymore but there are flashing pictures of a man. A funny-dressed man, a river, throwing poison into the water, so much that it turns dark. There are many people dead and there's a laugh, and a trial, and a battle, and powerful magical transformations.

The worst kind of people become the worst kind of Heartless.

There's a voice.

"_Crazy is just a word they use to describe us."_

Aqua has never known a Heartless to be able to talk. It can't talk, it's all in her head.

"What?"

"What are you doing?" Donald yells from the ground below.

Kefka has its large hands around the brim of her icy prison and breaks it piece by piece, thrashing against the building, and she slips and slides off the back of the wave, away from its inevitable freedom.

"Let's go!" Sora and Lea zoom past her, aiming for the clown before it sets loose, but Lea is smarter and backs out when he realizes it's too late, and Sora keeps going until he's exhausted.

One of his Keyblades fade away and he falls, Goofty barely catching him while skating on his shield.

"Keep it up, come on!" Noctis yells to a huge disheartened crowd, followed by Cloud for another barrage of assaults.

Not that Kefka is particularly interested. It hops and dances, skipping along the block and every step it takes strikes a random explosion in a random location, some hitting nothing, others being blocked by Lulu's powerful barriers. One hits near the balcony where the well-dressed man and the rabbit woman were standing, leaving rubble and two long-range fighters onto the ground where they have less of an advantage.

It's dusty and Donald's fireworks sprinkle the air in bright colors that combat the sound of bombs to the point that Aqua has a hard time following Kefka.

She tries but a lot of her attacks end up missing because of Kefka's erratic movements. She has to rely on widespread attacks, which drain her and she takes deep breaths in between to keep herself going.

Sometimes when Kefka runs, it attacks where it aims for, and sometimes it decides not to. It's hard to keep up.

Garnet slips by in all directions, her main concern is healing other people - with such sharp determination that she doesn't care whether Noctis is trying to protect her.

Just when Aqua thinks that Kefka doesn't see her, it attacks, and Garnet is flung straight into a wall, her protection crystal shattering.

"NO!" Noctis yells.

She slumps and doesn't bother to get up. She folds her arms around herself, waiting for the next hit, and Aqua summons another trail of ice to get there faster (faster, faster). She can't let this happen on her watch.

At this point, Aqua is shielding a stupefied princess with her body, and Kefka will attack the both of them, already ready with a dark mass bubbling in its palm.

But it gets hit from behind by a massive… missile? It's forceful enough to actually make the clown stumble.

The droning sound of machinery draws near, a flying gummi ship coming close. Kefka laughs and everyone hurts, Aqua gripping Garnet tighter to quiet the squirming princess.

Kefka telepathically takes all six swords and glides them in a sweep, up right through the middle of the ship, cutting in half, and Riku vaults out of the captain's seat, rolling off a roof and landing with a huge thud right next to Aqua and Garnet.

"Just in time," Riku says, summoning his new Keyblade. It's heavy and massive for his size.

Garnet snaps out of her stupor, heaving because she's just escaped death. Her eyes flash anger, and she takes her shortstaff and holds it in the air. A column of light bursts through the cobblestone with a loud punch, shooting right into the sky with such a trembling force that Kefka is knocked away from them.

"Thank you, Aqua," Garnet gently says as she picks herself up. She casts another spell, encasing herself and Riku in crystal.

Even though he has his Keyblade ready, Riku gladly waits for her to finish like they've done this routine one too many times and it's the best they can do to keep an eye on each other.

But Riku doesn't wait for a command though, chasing as soon as his crystal stabilizes itself. It's Cloud that sprints by his side and gestures an order without saying anything. In sync, they hit both of Kefka's ankles with their massive weapons, tripping it to its knees.

Garnet is also on her knees, exhausted. Whatever attack she conjured, it drained her of power and Aqua slumps her over her back - Garnet may be short but she's heavy.

Some force of wind takes Aqua off her feet, and Noctis suddenly has his arm around the both of them, and they glide over the ground until he reaches his next waypoint and drops them right behind Lulu, who is frustrated, worried, and determined to keep Garnet behind her.

The look on Noctis' face is awful as he takes a glance at the chaos: Kefka easily standing up after being tripped, Cloud and Riku desperately attacking its shins, the ram since abandoned. Goofy and Sora attacking its ankles from behind, Lea acting like bait, the well-dressed man shooting his gun upwards and missing, the rabbit-woman shooting an arrow and hitting the clown _straight in the eye_, but it all does so little.

Noctis is _tired_ \- not just exhausted, but the kind of tired Aqua dealt with for years.

Not the kind when he's had enough and he's angry - the kind when he's had enough and it's time to give up.

And Aqua's had enough.

She charges forward with a yell, jabbing her Keyblade straight into the air. She summons a giant snowflake, spinning and flashing until it stabs Kefka right at the hip.

In reaction, Kefka commands its swords again, and throws them all at her with a huge swipe, and Aqua doesn't dodge. She blocks, each slash of a sword against a properly placed Keyblade. Kefka is strong, and Kefka is big, and these swords are twice her size - but none of them matter. She's been training with two large men her whole life, and Kefka doesn't compare to her Master's skill or Terra's ferocity.

"You're pissing me off!" she cries when she blocks the sixth sword.

It takes a lot out of her but they are not called special techniques without a good reason.

Her Master's unique chains, first encircling her in a glow of golden light, then lurching until they wrap around Kefka. At the touch, these chains burn Heartless - they've certainly burned her when the Master first taught them how to use it.

Success. Kefka's arms are twisted tightly against its torso, and one of the links wraps under its thigh and actually keeps the stupid thing on its knees, a perfect target for everyone else.

The air chills, fog rolling in and Aqua at first considers a new threat but it's actually a dragon shaped out of mist, bobbing in the air before landing on the roof. It blows steam onto the clown, carefully skipping allies like they are precious, leaving a clown squealing like an unoiled engine.

"That's my girl," says a breathy Lulu, who barely has the energy to stand up.

It has to be Rydia's summon. Such powerful magic, Aqua has so much to learn still.

But a dragon twice the size of Kefka still doesn't make a dent (what the stars is its skin made of?), and it soon dissipates, leaving a dumbfounded Aqua - but no one else seems surprised. They keep throwing attacks, and Aqua is getting drowsy. She can't hold onto the chains much longer.

Ah, Kefka's floating swords, she forgot about them. They strike against her chains. They'll break. The damn thing.

At this point, Aqua has nothing left to give and so much to lose.

"Noctis," she says, whipping around and holding him by the shoulder. "Can you fly me up?"

He has dirt on his face and defeat in his eyes, but why not? He grabs her by the waist and throws his dagger up in the sky. She flies, then he grabs her again, throws his dagger even higher, making her soar to heights she couldn't possibly jump to on her own.

Aqua lets herself float, aiming for the sword nearest her. She grabs the grip of the hilt. Her feet stomp the guard and she stands straight.

She ignores Noctis when he freaks and screams, "Don't touch those!"

The sword spins to knock her off but she has a direction she wants to go and _this thing will obey_.

Down she goes, the point of the sword cutting straight through the air with one very particular destination: in between Kefka's shoulder and clavicle.

She rips into it, metal creaking and gears popping apart until she hits a thud that she's sure is the ground. Like a needle, Kefka is pinned in place by its very own. Aqua's chains flickjer but still - it can't move.

Kefka can't turn its face well to get a full look at the Keyblade Master triumphantly standing on its shoulder, right in between its lost limb.

"Get off of there!"

"Don't touch that!"

"Are you nuts?"

Voices by some she recognizes and some she doesn't, she ignores them. Instead, she watches Kefka's eyes, hard on her. The smile on its face doesn't waver even though she can tell - she can _feel_ \- rage building.

Several gears choke right under its chin, still turning but only barely. It's so weak under the frame - most of its inner skeleton is just metal beams and a cloud of purple smoke for organs with a black balloon for a head, all wrapped in a tacky costume. For a Heartless, it cannot create a hard shadow body like all the others, so it made itself a hard shell instead.

Like that of a man with a soft ego, too short-sighted to see his his arrest and execution coming, the ghost of a crazy clown who never wanted to be weak again and has only proven himself so.

"_It's not as fun like this_."

Aqua studies the two gashes on its mask, burnt at the tips and curving outwards.

"Terra did that to you, didn't he?" She scoffs. Her hands are melting into the swords hilt - this isn't fully solid either, and she can feel Garnet's soft puffs of white light healing her fingers the longer she's touching it. "I've faced worse than you in the Realm of Darkness."

She summons her Master's Defender. In darkness, only light slices the way. Even though the Keyblade is blunt and rounded, the point is to reach the heart - and every darkened heart has a weakness to exploit, the very same insecurity that haunted its former human.

Aqua has felt it all with every Heartless she's defeated in the Realm: the grieving, the enraged, the depressed, the vengeful, the feral, the crazy.

She yells, the light off her Keyblade aiming straight for the neck - she promised to be a Wayfinder, and for darkness that simply means releasing them.

Her Keyblade sparks against the gears and she has to look away, and this force burns like steam but she keeps at it. She's not letting this thing dance away tonight.

Kefka screeches.

There are yells about abandoning her with the clown.

Sora yells back that they have to help her.

Riku agrees.

Lea (apprehensively) follows along.

And Aqua keeps doing what she's doing.

Kefka's shoulder budges the moment the purple smoke of its insides release like gas, into her face and up her nostrils. It's putrid and it burns behind her eyes. She coughs but she stands strong until her Keyblade gives way and suddenly there's another collapse and she's falling backwards with the arm.

Something large topples on itself as there's a shimmer in the air.

Cries of amazement. Hollers. Yells to get back as far as possible. Aqua can't tell, it's cloudy in dark purple and she can't see in the gas.

Two pairs of hands grab her by the shoulders and drag her, and there's so much coughing - her throat burns and she hears Riku telling Sora to hurry up and he coughs as well.

It's clear now, the gas slowly fading away and whatever is left of the clown slowly - slowly - topples away like it still wants to resist. First the entire right arm where she chopped it off, then the left, until the knees buckle and its head rolls forward and it all turns black and gets blown open by sparkles of light.

A large heart floats upward, the crowds watching in silence like it's a stunning show they respect too much to interrupt. They don't shift until it floats higher, somewhere high in the sky where Kingdom Hearts will eventually accept its arrival.

The crowd doesn't believe it at first even though it's as clear as day. Claps start, then sobs, then whoops, then hugs and kisses, and a melting of relief rolled into a platter of overused desperation that still needs a place to be served.

The fight is over, and the night is as bright as the dawn.

There's so much happiness but all Aqua feels is shivering - it's so cold all of a sudden and her teeth chatter.

Riku is on his hands and knees, hacking.

Sora is on his side, his hand rubbing a massive headache and he moans.

Donald and Goofy run to his side, the former giving him a lecture instead of congratulating all the accomplishments of the night, and Goofy swings Sora over his shoulder to carry him away.

Lea throws Riku's arm around his shoulders. "Come on, buddy," he says, patting Riku's back.

Cloud gently carries Aqua in his arms, whispering, "I wasn't expecting that. It's impressive."

But it hurts to swallow and she doesn't say anything back. He lowers her onto a stretcher, in between Riku and Sora, who each have their own.

Riku rolls his head. "I can't quite believe it. Stupid clown."

Sora makes a trembling thumbs-up. "We did it." It plops down.

Gasps and sobs make way near them, and Garnet wanders into view, unable to keep up with her smiling tears, her gloved fingers intertwining with Aqua's.

"It is done. It is over," she says.

"What is happening to me?" Aqua asks hoarsely.

"Oh, you've been poisoned, dear," Garnet says with a sweet smile, leaning over her. "Not to worry. Terra has made sure we've plenty of elixirs."

"Terra…"

It's just like him to always be there.

Even during treasure hunts, where he left clues through the forest to make it easier for her to find him. Like stepping stones on an ocean so she could walk across, and she follows.

Garnet melts into tears again, the cheers silencing her quiet sobs and Lulu is asking for her, gathering everyone except the poor souls on stretchers into a huge embrace.

Celebrations are just as chaotic, nothing like the stars.

The stars. Aqua gasps when she sees them, and it sends her into such a coughing fit that Cloud has to put an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth.

But there they are, dim due to the light pollution. They're her first since she's been freed, and she's forgotten how special she always thought of them - a light to pierce the darkness. Guides to give people directions. Reminders of hope. Wayfinders for all the dreams she's had.

They're beautiful.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I made Mickey quote Walt Disney because I wanted to make myself feel clever. **

**And if you thought I was going to allow Terra defeat Kefka instead of a female swordsman... how dreadful.**

**I also didn't exactly mean to, but I do notice how much I made Garnet out to be like a Princess of Light. Out of all the Final Fantasy heroines, she's definitely the one closest to a Disney princess honestly. **


	4. Chapter 4: Tea

Aqua hates being sick. Hates the ache that threatens her limbs, the rips in her core when she coughs, how her lips burn when she licks them, how stuffy her eyes are, how hard it is to breathe, the headache that keeps coming back, the nausea in the pit of her esophagus, the feverish suspicion that she's going to be stuck in bed for some time

She's aware that she's not really sick - she's been poisoned by a Heartless' darkness, but it sucks all the same.

A giant teddy bear sits by her side on the queen-sized bed, and Aqua likes the feeling of snuggling with it. Duchess purrs, taking her spot on the bed right by Aqua's hip. Her kittens still chase each other around despite the hour, and it sounds more chaotic than it probably is.

Terra's music box slows to a crawl before it stops its song. Aqua rolls over, a throbbing ache in her abdomen making her sluggish. Her arms protest her reaching out to wind it up again, and then she lovingly places it back down, right by his glossy orange Wayfinder. The ghostly song begins its trek down memory lane again - Aqua has played it so many times tonight that she's starting to memorize all the notes.

That's the worst part about being under - she's bored.

Aqua reaches behind the music box to grab the vial of elixir, and sits up to take another gulp. There is laughter deep in the streets down below, and drunken hollers. It's been more than two hours since the fight with Kefka has ended but there's plenty of energy left in the night to celebrate. One of the kittens (the orange one, Tolouse is his name, Aqua thinks) paws at her fingers.

"Terra," she says out loud as she glances at his Wayfinder, "I can't sleep. I'm scared I forgot how."

Speaking dries out her throat and she deteriorates into another coughing fit. She glances at her clock: two in the morning.

She stops herself from sighing out of fear she'll cough again and drags her legs out of bed. Taking a blanket to wrap her shoulders, she peeks outside her hotel room - the hallway is warmly lit, dimmer than she expected but that's probably to make visitors comfortable.

Aqua doesn't know what she's looking for, but she probably won't sleep without exhaustion and it's taking too long to overcome her. Screw this.

She steps out and the cats follow her. In one simple hallway, there's only two directions to go. At first she turns left, but it's dark - really dark, as though the burgundy carpet has disappeared into the black. The lights at the end have gone out. Knowing the layout of this floor, this way should lead to the stairs. The cats don't seem to be alarmed by anything that might lurk, but…

Aqua will not take it.

There's a flutter of sound in the opposite direction, where the lights will lead her to the elevator. It's soft and unassuming, and it's coming from Sora's room. Aqua plants her ear to his door and smiles. He's snoring.

Good on him to do the right thing and sleep to build his defenses against the poison.

She follows the lights to the elevator. The doors are like a birdcage, twisting into a beautiful pattern, and they break apart seamlessly when she calls for it. Stepping inside and the cats skitter along, the cage is loud when it closes, and down they go. Slowly, lights flicker through the bars with every floor she passes by. It makes it hard for her to see the walls beyond, and in a sick moment she feels trapped.

The doors creak when they open, and Aqua realizes she's been fighting with her breath ever since she refused the dark upper hallway.

Halls down here are vacant, peaceful in comparison to just a few hours ago, and tired, with only a random person walking by. Sparks of rainbow burst outside the windows - some teenagers are lighting firecrackers and laughing. A bar across the street is packed with drunken cheer, and someone has a loud stereo playing music, groups dancing joyously to it.

A shiver runs up Aqua's spine - it's a terrible idea to walk around out this ill. Her knees feel weak and her head bobs to dizziness, but on she goes, not tired enough to go back. As long as she doesn't push herself, she won't get worse. At least that's what she reasons.

The dining room. It's empty, save for a few lights behind an abandoned bar - as if staying in the hotel is a prison right now, a reminder of darker days.

Oh, she only thought it was empty.

Lea sits on his own holding a mug, steam floating from it. He catches sight of her, and whistles out of shock.

"You gotta be a cyborg," he smirks. "Walking around like you're not dying. You look terrible."

"I don't feel too bad." That has to be the biggest lie she's ever told.

He tsks, scratching his nose and rubbing his chin. "Now I'm convinced. Cyborg."

She stands still, fidgeting with her blanket. Finding something to say is awkward, given how bluntly she brushed him off earlier. "What are you drinking?"

"Tea." He smiles. "Made by a certain lovestruck Keyblade wielder and filled to the brim with all his ooey-gooey feels. Famous around here. But for some reason…" He taps the mug with a finger.

"It doesn't taste as special as they say it does," he continues.

That's because Terra isn't the one brewing it.

Aqua chooses to ignore the word _lovestruck _. "Is there any left?"

"Sure, a whole closet."

This confuses Aqua, but Lea stands up, gesturing her to follow him to the kitchen.

It's dark though, and Aqua refuses to take a closer step until he turns on the lights.

Unlike the warm colors of burgundy carpeting and the tint of dark wood from the dining room, the kitchen is cold in the whiteness of its tile and the silver of its steel appliances.

At the other end is a door to a walk-in storage room. Also too dark.

She only gets closer to take a peek when Lea switches its only light on, just a spare lightbulb with a long pullstring

"Come in," he says. "I only bite when I want to.

Inside is what's to be expected: sacks of rice, cans of food... then there are the shelves.

A whole wall of them, all carefully labeled in drawers of different teas.

All in Terra's scratchy handwriting.

Many Aqua recognizes, brews that he's made for her and the Master (Ven hates tea). Some with dried fruits, others with flower petals, most of them herbal. Some designed for a good drink, others medicinal. There are drawers with separated ingredients to let people custom-make their own, and drawers with pre-made mixes.

Pinned to the wall next to them are instructions and suggestions, again in Terra's scrawls:

_Eucalyptus - for colds and coughs  
Peppermint - to feel peppy  
Ginger - best for headaches  
Chamomile - to relax  
Lavender - also to relax, tastes much better than chamomile  
Fennel seeds - for easier breathing  
Raspberries and blueberries - makes anything taste good  
Mugwort - to get rid of toxins, smells bad  
Rosemary - to protect memory and the heart  
Sleeping weed - tasteless, causes lucid dreaming  
Dragon's root - for psychosis, very pungent _

Aqua traces her fingers over his writing, feeling how deeply he grooved the pen into the page. The pages are pristine. He must have written this maybe yesterday, at most two days ago, all for the people in Traverse Town, right before he left to find her.

Funny how the strongest barrier between them is time.

Lea clears his throat, filling a small bag with sleeping weed. "What'll it be?"

Aqua reads through the drawers again - Terra's ginger brew, which is his go-to whenever any of them fell sick. She chooses that one, taking a small bag and a scoop for herself.

"Fine choice," Lea says and snatches the bag out of her hand once it's filled.

"I can take care of myself." She reaches for the bag but he keeps it at a good distance. He's ridiculously tall.

"Sure," he says, one foot out the door already. "And cats dance."

Like she's replying, Duchess meows.

Lea takes the brew to the kitchen, pulling out a teapot, and he begins boiling. Aqua only has a hazy memory of Terra's magic when making tea, but she's pretty sure Lea isn't an expert. It's not just the mix: there's precise timing to it, how long to boil what ingredient and to specific temperatures in order to bring out the best.

Either way, Lea prepares a hot mug for her, and opens the door for her back to the dining room, leaving a plate of meat for Duchess and her kittens by the bar area. He still has the bag of sleeping weed in his hand. If he's up this late, he's probably sleeping terribly too.

Aqua sits not in front of Lea, but across the table from him.

The tea tastes good. Maybe not as good as she remembers it, but Aqua's not sure since the last time Terra brewed for her was twelve years ago. The ginger bites but it soothes, cooling down her throat. It's all psychological, but tasting such a strong kick in her mouth immediately makes her feel better.

Lea… slurps his tea. Loudly, too

She shoots him a look, her mug barely to her lips before she silently takes a sip - like she's setting an example.

Lea eyes her. He understands. He slurps loudly again.

She sets her mug down. "Do you mind?"

"Yes." He's enjoying himself too much.

She rolls her eyes.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asks.

She takes another sip.

"You really should," he continues.

"I know."

"You should have this." Ah, so the sleeping weed is for her.

"… No, thank you."

"Doesn't matter how much of a dosage, it's not harmful."

"… How do you know that?

Lea eyes his fingers, a smug smile on his face. "From a previous profession, you could say."

Aqua doesn't know if that should intimidate her. She says nothing.

He continues, "But poison is fatal."

Like he's a mother reminding a child. "I'll go to sleep," Aqua says, letting the annoyance in her voice to seep out. "Eventually. I just needed something to drink.

Lea spins circles on his mug with his finger, nodding. His eyes scan the table, drifting off into the carpet, and he silently sips. This conversation is just as awkward for him, and for a while, they drink in silence.

"You know," Lea says shakily, like he's suddenly scared. "I'm sorry."

Aqua stops mid-sip. "For what?"

He scoffs, a nervous smile betraying him and he rubs the back of his neck before digging his finger into that giant red mane of his to scratch his scalp. "Terra… You know, I'm the only one he told."

She doesn't get it, but she lets him continue.

"He asked me not to say anything to anybody, and didn't let me join him. He wanted to find you on his own... Duty and whatever other stupid, stupid reasons he told himself to justify going into the Realm of Darkness alone. And I'm stupid for letting him."

Aqua sighs, a small smile on her lips. Tears burn more than usual because her eyes aren't well enough for them, and she blinks them back. "That's Terra," she says.

"Pfft."

"Determined."

"Rock-headed."

"Dedicated."

"Delusional."

Aqua grins more, remembering how awfully late into the hours Terra would train when he felt inadequate, even though he knew his body wouldn't catch up overnight.

This encourages Lea. "So you can smile after all."

Sheepish, Aqua grabs the mug with both hands. "Maybe I'm not a cyborg after all."

"I'll be the judge of that." Lea turns his shoulders to face her, getting more comfortable in his seat. "What's your plan? Are you going back to get him?"

She nods slowly. That is indeed the plan, and this time she doesn't plan on staying in the Realm of Darkness for long (a nag in the back of her mind expects that she will, and they'll both be trapped together).

"You're brave," Lea says, and Aqua has the suspicion that he's normally not this direct with people. "Do you have an idea of what it takes to get there?"

Her smile falls. A Door to Darkness. A large gaping hole made with the blackest magic. A world may have to fall to make it happen. But if Terra can prevent it, so can she. "Yeah." Yet she doesn't even have an idea where to find one. "I'll wake up Ven first, then we'll get him back together. Once that happens, there's someone else I need to find."

"Oh really?" Lea takes another slurp. This one he makes sure is obnoxious. "Who?"

"A friend I made in the darkness." Aqua finds herself turning shoulders as well, hesitant to say more. If she's going to search, she'll need any clue she could find. "He suddenly disappeared and I'm worried. His name is Xemnas."

Lea spits tea back into his mug, splashing it on his fingers. "Excuse me?"

Aqua blinks. "Xemnas. That's his name."

A finger in his mouth to lick the tea off, he slips it out with a pop, his eyebrows almost to his hairline. "Really."

"You know him." What luck. She leans forward, a hand on the table. "Any idea what might have happened to him?"

Lea glances at her, twice. He shrugs too slowly like he has molasses on his shoulders, taking a mug to his lips as an excuse not to talk.

Aqua leans back, feeling like they're talking about something taboo. "You don't get along with him?"

He scoffs, hiding a grimace behind a smile - he's really good at acting but it's like he's tired of it. "The day I get along with Xemnas is the day I grow a third leg and use it to kick myself in the nuts."

She supposes not everyone can get along - Xemnas is definitely of the peculiar kind of people, and she can't imagine that Lea would belong. Even Aqua never expected to befriend Xemnas this closely if it weren't for the fact that she needed him. Xemnas always gave her the impression that he demanded the finer things in life, and she imagined him wearing expensive suits and capes, in some palace far away hosting extravagant balls and holding intense political courts.

Still, he was there for her. It's a relief alone to learn that he was a real person and not a figment of her imagination. "He's my friend, and I..."

Lea pinches his eyes and lets them go in guilt. "Don't bat an eyelash, he's somewhere out there."

Ignoring his tea to the point that it could get cold, Lea keeps finding something to say and then stopping himself from saying it. No word is good enough.

"Come on," he implores, grabbing the bag of sleeping weed and leaving the table.

"To where?"

"You're going on an adventure to save three people." He lifts his fingers to illustrate. "There's going to be a lot of terrible things you'll learn along the way. You're of no use to any them the way you are, and I'm not falling for any excuse you give me. You need rest, and you're smart enough to know this and I'm sure you hate knowing it but… whatever, boo-hoo for you. You're going to sleep."

Aqua stammers, and he doesn't let her talk: "The sooner you get better, the sooner you can find them. Now for the last time, _come on _. They're waiting for you."

She grabs her mug and grips her blanket around her shoulders tighter. "I hate being sick," she mutters as she passes him by.

"Don't I know it."

He takes her to a backroom in the first floor after they pass a huge hodgepodge of computer screens that must have served as security monitoring at some point. They are all off now that the danger is over.

The room behind is actually larger than she expects, a scent lingering in its entrance. There is a chipped coffee table under a mess of papers, and an overused black couch, surrounded by a mismatch of chairs as if they were grabbed from wherever in the hotel they were available. The walls here are dark, not crisp enough to be of any particular gray, with small paintings of beautiful sights littering them.

"I bet Noct's finally sleeping in his own room now," Lea says.

Aqua is sure Noctis carried the responsibility too much to belong to a fancy hotel room, and probably felt less guilty to sleep in a place where he rushed through meetings.

"Get comfortable," Lea says, pointing at the couch.

"Do you usually order people around?"

"Nope!" he proudly says with a pop to his word. "It would be so much easier if you just listen the _first _time." He points again to the couch, taking a seat on the other side of the coffee table.

She does, gently setting her mug. Lea opens the bag of sleeping weed, and takes a pinch of it to stir with her tea. Every movement he makes is under her watchful gaze, like they are in silent agreement of what he's doing and he's transparent over how much he's giving her.

"Shouldn't taste any different," he says.

He's right, there's barely an aftertaste. She takes two gulps of it, and a third for good measure. Exhaustion still isn't knocking on her shoulders, and she waits for too long of a moment for anything to happen. Lea has kicked his feet onto the coffee table, watching her.

It doesn't look like he's planning on leaving anytime soon, as though he's thinking of guarding her just to give her better reason to relax. Aqua has to admit she's grateful for it.

"I'm not sure where to start first," she says with a thick tongue.

"Hm?"

Then it comes, a most relaxing calm possessing her arms until it reaches her eyes. She lies down, the scent of cologne and skin right at her face from the cushion on the couch. It dips at her shoulders and her hips, like Noctis has really abused it from too much sleep.

"I'm so worried about Terra."

Lea is silent at first. "You've experienced the Realm of Darkness first-hand so you know what he's going through... But you can't."

"Can't what?" she whispers. Tears sting her eyes.

"He did the same thing you're doing right now," Lea shrugs with a smirk. "Giving himself a headache over you as if you weren't strong enough to handle it. Yet here you are, alive and well. You gonna do the same? Think he's not capable?"

"No.." she sighs. "He's… yeah."

"See? Worrying wouldn't help him anyway."

"Mhm."

It's hard to keep her eyes open, and she tries harder when she hears Lea speak again:

"I'll help you find him. Xemnas, I mean. There's at least four words I'd like to slap him with."

Aqua hums in response, and doesn't remember how she left Noctis' room and how she is now standing in pristine white hallway.

She recognizes this hallway. It's her old home transformed, Ventus lying somewhere in this confusing layout of a castle. She knows that it brings oblivion to visitors, and what would happen to her if she aimlessly wanders the halls without a purpose? Would her Master curse her as well?

Her steps echo afar, and the tile continues to nowhere. There are no windows, no turns, no furniture. Just a stretch of white. Behind her, it keeps going. Ahead of her, there is a door.

When she gets close to the door, snowflakes slowly fall onto her hand.

Through the door is another white room, this time with a window allowing a gentle breeze to brush through the curtains, a warm sunset far away.

On the walls are pieces of paper - like they are supposed to showcase pictures or drawings, but they are all blank. Every single one of them.

In the center is a long table, and…

"Terra," she calls softly.

On one end, he sits, speaking to someone on the other side: a girl with long blonde hair, in a white dress using a white crayon to draw on white paper. She draws nothing.

But they're cheerful, it seems. Aqua can't hear either of them speak as though they've been muted. The girl says something, and Terra chuckles. He's relaxed, arms open on the table and he's waving one of them around like he's trying to argue a _specific _point he wants to make and the girl sheepishly sticks her tongue out at him like she's never done it before.

He laughs harder and Aqua wishes she could hear it. Terra is only this way with really good friends. Wherever he is, he's safe.

The girl notices Aqua. Gives her a smile. Puts a finger to her lips as if to shush.


	5. Chapter 5: Game I

**A/N:This one was a rough one to write, but I'm glad it's finished. I'm excited for what's coming, but I also apologize for the shoddy characterization. I'm not confident with this one at all and I seriously need more practice with different characters, but I also felt the pressure of finishing it since I just... have so much work left to write. .**

* * *

Even though she's slowly improving, Aqua can't help but feel that the hours are unkinder than usual.

She avoids being alone with Lea - not because of him, but because of anything else he knows. Minutes tick by before she realizes she's obsessing about the things he has said last night, only to obsess more.

Sometimes, she forgets where she is until she runs into something or gets smacked - quite literally this time, with a strong aroma and a flaky texture, like pollen.

"Look," Sora commands, his eyes hidden behind a pot of bright red daisies as he shoves them into Aqua's face. "Look how nice they are!"

He says that about every new delivery of red daisies, as though each time he's just as surprised and grateful.

The dining room in this great bright morning is absolutely _filled _with flowers. Sora can't even catch smell his gifts, his symptoms completely stuffing his nose to oblivion (his words, not Aqua's).

Tables near Riku are adorned with bushes of lilacs, and a pile of _Thank You _cards keep growing. Aqua has taken to reading them for him because the poison still gives him headaches.

Aqua receives gifts as well: blue star-shaped bellflowers that blanket the tabletops behind her like a textured ocean.

Only one table is free from floral invasion - the one the three of them are using, each with thick blankets wrapped around their shoulders, and personal mugs full of steaming tea.

Word is a parade is being organized for later that night, to celebrate the end of Kefka's reign. It's rushed, planned with marching bands and dancers and confetti but not much else. Rumor has it Noctis and Garnet are expected to walk the parade, but Aqua can't imagine that either of them would want that kind of attention.

Organizers have asked the Keyblade wielders to walk, but Donald apparently has denied the request on their behalf - they're still too sick.

A hotel employee, dressed very casually because no one is in the mood to take life seriously for the time being, brings yet another pot of flowers.

These are orange lilies, their shade growing darker at the tips. Sora takes the card dug into the pot and reads: "_ For Terra. From Noctis, Garnet, and Rydia _."

He smiles, and drags the pot towards Aqua. "This will go with your stack." If there's a particular reason why Sora assumes they should go to Aqua, she pretends not to notice.

It's a beautiful gesture. Really, it is. A little piece of Terra, his intentions and his service earthed neatly into a pot that she can keep in memory. It makes her wonder for a slight second if he has a shirt around here that she can wear to sleep, but there's no one she would ever dare ask for it.

"Do you like them?" Sora asks, an impish grin on his face. He's teasing her. It's something Ven would do.

"Why are you asking?"

He sniggers. "They'd look much better with the blue flowers anyway. What's it called," Sora mutters, his chin in his hand. "Complementary colors?"

"Don't mind him," Riku says.

Sora backhands Riku's shoulder. "Yes, do mind me."

"He means well though."

"I mean well." Sora nods too quickly, and it makes him grab his head in pain.

"They're beautiful," Aqua says, bringing the pot closer instead of placing them by the rest of her flowers. It's not the same as hugging Terra, but it will have to do.

If Terra was here, he'd know what to say about Xemnas. He'd tell her that some people simply just don't get along no matter what, that it doesn't mean that either of them are bad.

Maybe Lea is really that choosy with who he hangs out with.

But something still doesn't sit right with her.

It's silent, and she forgets that she's losing herself to thoughts in the presence of other people. She figures she can't help it considering how long she's been alone. What do people say for small talk?

"It's weird." Riku breaks the silence, fingers in his hair like he's massaging the headache away. "Sitting here without anticipating Kefka's arrival."

"That's the way it should be," Sora says.

"Yeah…" Riku eyes Aqua nervously, and there's no way to tell what's on his mind. "You were... incredible. It's amazing what you can do with a Keyblade with proper focus."

That's right. They are self-trained.

"You both do so well on your own," Aqua says. And she means it, what with Riku's sharp tactics and Sora's gift of bringing his friends together to gather his power.

"Right…" Riku looks down at the table, and this time Sora's noticing. "It's interesting."

It almost sounds accusatory. "What is?" Aqua asks.

"The way you used Kefka's swords. Darkness to defeat darkness-"

"I don't use darkness," Aqua says shortly.

Her insistence, a sharp tongue meant to put a stop to anyone who questions her, keeps Riku tight-lipped. It even makes Sora do a double-take toward his best friend… and she wonders if he's suspicious too.

"You use darkness too," Sora gently says to Riku, as if to normalize the conversation.

"It's not the same," Riku says and immediately bites his lip. The rest he compensates: "I walk the road to dawn. Take the darkness and turn it into light to guide my way. But…"

It's enough to make Aqua's nostrils flare out. It's not true about her...

"She- You manipulated a part of Kefka and used it against itself. That's different from what I do." Riku switches course, giving her an encouraging smile. "It is inspiring though. I've never seen anything like it."

Aqua doesn't know what he's trying to imply. Or rather, she doesn't care to face it. "I…"

"Have been in the Realm of Darkness for a long time," Sora says with compassionate eyes. "_ And _you're a Master. The way you sliced Kefka's head clean off with your Keyblade-" He finishes with a _swoosh _from his lips and a finger across his neck.

Riku chuckles. "I've always thought that anyone capable of making even a _dent _on Kefka should be called a Keyblade Master."

Sora contorts a smile like he's struggling to contain it. "Doesn't make _you _look good at all, does it, Riku?"

Aqua gasps. He's so young. "You're a Master?"

He nods once - to the side actually, like he's shy about it, when he normally presents himself with such confidence.

"Riku was meant for it," Sora cuts in, waving his hands like he's giving an entrance to the stars. "Destined to be Keyblade Master."

"Congratulations, Master Riku," Aqua says.

He hums, rubbing his forearm. "_ 'Riku' _is fine."

It's no wonder Sora loves teasing him. Riku makes it easy.

"That makes you the youngest Keyblade Master _ever _," Aqua says. It's funny watching Riku fight away his blushing. "You even beat _me _to it."

Sora is loving it, snorting into his hand.

"Age is really nothing." Riku dismisses her with a wave of her hand.

"I beg to differ. I've only studied it my entire life, but if you want to say you know more about this than I do-"

"That's not-" This time, Riku's cheeks really are red. "I didn't mean-"

Aqua clears her throat, and for a moment, Riku's silence is pregnant and anxious. She lets it build up much to his suffering, before saying, "I'm messing with you."

Sora holds a fist to his mouth to sustain his laughter, but it seeps out like the accidents of a trumpet.

Which is also a terrible idea, now that he can't control his coughing to the point where he almost plops onto the table out of exhaustion.

"Master to Master," Aqua says, seriously this time, and it catches Riku's attention. "I would appreciate if you respect the fact that I don't need a guardian."

He eyes her, most likely thinking back to last night when he conveniently left out crucial details just to keep her out of a dangerous fight. He clears his throat. "I thought that maybe Terra would have been worried if you were in that much danger."

"That would have been true." She goes back to the orange lilies, rubbing a petal with her thumb. "But he also would have trusted me to take care of myself."

"Right." He thinks hard, nodding, then nodding some more. "I won't do it again."

She wears an appreciative smile. "So your Keyblades…" she starts. There's so much ground to cover.

Traditionally, a wielder would be bequeathed. Their Keyblade would materialize when they're older, when they're on the brink of deciding who they want to be and what they want to strive for. In the case of Sora and Riku…

"Riku," she calls, her hand outstretched to him at the table. "I remember." _Barely _. "Terra chose you. I felt it. Your light burst into rays after he bequeathed you."

There's a small smile on Riku's lips and he doesn't have to say anything in order to tell her that he wears that memory with pride.\

"But Sora," she continues. If he hasn't been bequeathed then… Well, if one Keyblade is the extension of the entirety of one's personal ambitions, dreams, bonds, heartaches, and identities, then... "How do you have two of them?"

It's so unfitting to watch his smile falter. To watch him fight with it. He's different than Lea in the sense that Lea acknowledges whatever flashes in his mind. Afterwards he puts on a mask, like he's two different people at once.

But Sora struggles to do the same. Sora buries it.

"I bet the other one belongs to Roxas," he says, hands behind his head. Riku agrees.

"I don't understand."

"My Nobody…" His eyes shiver. "I hate that word. Roxas is his own person, and calling him that-"

Riku places a hand on his shoulder, and it keeps Sora from digging deeper into such thoughts.

Whatever trials Sora went through in order to produce a Nobody must be an amazing story. He would have turned into a Heartless, succumbed to darkness for even a fraction of a second. Which is something Aqua would have never even considered for someone like Sora - he's so jovial, so loving, so willing to put others ahead of himself.

Maybe that's the reason. Everybody stretches themselves too much, and everybody hurts sometimes.

Sora leans forward, a hand to his chest. "I have Roxas' heart with me. That's why I have two Keyblades."

Again, Riku scuffles. "Did you know Terra can do the same?" he asks Aqua.

Terra with his Earthshaker and a nameless silver Keyblade. Considering how she saw Sora with two with her very own eyes, suddenly it's not hard to imagine.

If Terra is going through the same, then he's much stronger than she ever realized, having to carry a parasite inside.

Aqua chooses to think it's admirable, bearing on such a burden. She imagines somewhere where Sora can't touch, this Roxas person has to be incredibly sad not being able to taste life on his own. It makes her think of Ven, who also isn't able to share the flowers with her.

She's sure that Sora must have the same conviction she has to save them both.

"Sora," she starts. His name is starting to sound like sunshine. "I meant to bequeath you myself."

His eyes go wide, his lips small like a mouse's, like he's never considered he was meant for the honor. "... Seriously?"

"Yes." She chuckles. "You remember meeting me?"

"Vaguely."

"I remember it more," Riku says.

"I saw how bright your light was," Aqua says. "You were destined for it, too."

Sora is dumbstruck, eyes scanning the table for nothing to find. She's sure he's just forgotten to thank her since he's normally polite. Something tells her he's probably been told the complete opposite, judging by how much he's sinking into disbelief.

Riku is the one smiling more about that revelation.

"Thank you," Sora finally says, beaming like his self-esteem isn't in junk heaps.

"I really wanted to take you in," she says. "But… I was worried. By the time I met the both of you, I was sure I was going to have to fight Terra, even though I didn't want to. I was forced to put a stop to what was happening to us."

She tears up. It burns less than last night.

"I wanted to spare you both from the same," she whispers, seeing these grown-up boys with stronger jaws and shallower cheeks. "I didn't want the Keyblade to split the two of you like it did to us."

Sora cackles into laughter. It's contagious enough to affect Riku who quietly joins him in whatever inside joke she's not part of. "Too _late _."

"The good old days." Riku leans on his elbow and hides his face behind his hand. "You were a piece of work, Sora."

"You're one to talk," Sora scoffs, arms crossing at the surface of the table so he can lie his head down. "You were really obnoxious."

Riku melts into a grin then quickly composes himself, shrugging with one shoulder. "That's fair."

It could have been so different for them. Whatever their story is, it's null and void by now.

That's not honest, whatever happened has made Sora and Riku who they are today: strongly bonded, cracking jokes with a rhythm, powerful wielders who can rely on each other.

It could have been Terra and Aqua. It makes her feel silly, worrying so much because she thought there was a point where he couldn't be helped anymore.

She should have trusted more instead of assuming whatever path he was on was destructive to himself and everyone else.

But if it has worked out for Riku and Sora, who sit in front of her like they only have happy memories, then it may still work out for her and Terra.

She has to believe that.

The sound of squeaky wheels marches up to the table, and Rydia takes a cart with vials of elixir on the top shelf and stacks of colorful board games underneath. It's nice to see her walk around without dragging her feet or leaning on that old wizard's staff. Her slow recovery bodes well for all of them.

"You all look heavenly," she says, giving them each a personal vial which they are expected to drink in full.

"That's such a lie," Sora says, leaning over. "You're the one who looks almost normal."

She grimaces. "Not according to everyone in town… They say that once Kefka has gotten you, it will stay with you forever."

"Then buy him a clown nose," Riku points to Sora, which earns him a jab in the ribs.

"What exactly does that mean?" Aqua asks, more serious that she'd like to admit.

There's an invasive suspicion that refuses to vacate the back of her mind: that darkness has found a way into her heart, and that it may mean it will always linger there. What would the Master think?

Rydia bends over to caress her shoulder. "Nothing to worry about. It's something the townsfolk say to have a reason to stay scared. They want to deny anything and everything that would threaten them further."

Is that why Rydia's smile doesn't reach her eyes? Are they alienating her?

Rydia doesn't answer the questions in Aqua's mind, and instead pulls out the stack games, some in different languages, and lets them choose one.

"You want a rematch?" Riku asks.

"Absolutely not," Rydia says with a wink. "I still want to gloat about my win."

The stack is the typical clash of colors, a desperate way to claw at children's attention. Aqua is lucky. Having a Master that traveled through different universes meant she had the privilege to play with things that would otherwise never arrive at a child's door.

And there is one she does recognize.

"Command Board," she says, pulling it out from underneath the rest.

"Good choice," Sora says, even though he's likely never played it before.

"We used to grow up playing this." She chuckles to herself, remembering all the times she accused Terra of cheating. How Ven got a little too proud if he happened to win.

"It's a three-player game," Rydia says with a small nod. She's the odd fourth in the group, and maybe Aqua is a little sensitive to the idea of her not belonging, but Rydia waves like she's not bothered by it. "I hope you make new memories with it. It'll help with the poison."

"Huh?" Sora mutters.

Rydia may know better, but she probably should have been more blunt: to say that Aqua should keep her chin up and stay optimistic in spite of trying times. Aqua doesn't understand why the people around her are so concerned about her state of mind - does coming from the Realm of Darkness creep them out that much?

If what they say about Kefka's poison is just a jest, then Aqua truly doesn't have anything to worry about.

"How do you play?" Sora asks, and Aqua realizes she's been silent too long, once again.

Riku watches her with intent, and she challenges his gaze enough to get him to look somewhere else.

"Ah," she breathes. "The rules are complicated but you'll learn along the way."

She lifts the lid. This board isn't the same one she used to play with, but the rules are similar so she'll take it as a grand new adventure. There's some cards missing, but the dice are definitely all present.

Playing with Sora and Riku is like playing with friendly ghosts.

There's Sora with all his enthusiasm, already going too far in plotting strategies for events he can't predict are going to happen (so far he has a fifty-fifty success rate). He's so much like Ven, who's cunning enough to make all the right assumptions, and threw down more cards than he cared about moving his piece through the board. Ven loved to tag-team and then betray, pitting Terra and Aqua against each other so they wouldn't go after him.

Riku is a little more reserved and careful. He reads his cards like he's studying a textbook, and he catches the both of them by surprise when he considers card combinations she's never tried before. He's like Terra, slow and sneaky. Terra had terrible poker face, usually bringing his cards right against his nose to hide what he's thinking. And that's only if he wasn't throwing glances at Aqua with a smirk on his face. He used to say that it's to predict what she's going to do next. Nowadays, Aqua thinks it's so much more than that.

Yet Riku and Sora are different. They are a nice homage to childish days, a breath of fresh nostalgia. They are innocent in the game, but not yet to the point where they have to consider tricking Aqua, and this gives her an advantage.

It's as colorful in Traverse Town as the spots on the board. It may hide dreary secrets behind the night lights, mixed with its enviously gorgeous architecture, but there's a pleasant space here. A spot to hide away from sins.

It's not really a home, yet. But it's close enough.

* * *

The streets are louder than ever when night comes. It's the fourth parade in a row, which Aqua watches from her bedroom window. The horns are thunderous, drums banging to the pace of the march where dancers hand balloons to children and throw candy at everyone else.

It may be the fourth but Noctis is still uncomfortable, hands hiding in his pockets instead of waving to the crowds. He only calms when Garnet joins him on such an embarrassment, all the way through to the end. If she's not smiling at people, she's looking at the cobblestones under her feet.

Aqua is on the highest floor of the hotel but she can still hear Donald's scratchy whining down below whenever Sora bursts out of the hotel doors. They're all doing so much better by now, but he still treats them as delicate.

By now, Sora doesn't have a guttural cough anymore.

By now, the electric bell in the clock tower has been deactivated, under Noctis' orders.

By now, Lea knocks on Aqua's door with a mug already prepared with sleeping weed. For as much as Lea acts like he enjoys hanging out with people, he certainly spends a lot of time alone, avoiding the crowds. Like water, like fire.

"You forgot your tea," he says, and sets the mug on her bedside table. "Three cheers for health, dreams, and vanquishing Heartless. Now drink it."

Other nights, Aqua's usually more willing to drink. Tonight, she walks briskly to pick up Terra's Wayfinder, massaging it in her hand while Lea makes himself comfortable with a chair in between his legs.

She could avoid it, but she's terrible about this sort of thing. Eventually, Lea will read exactly how anxious she is.

"Does it smell funny?" He's already doing it.

There's a growing list of questions ever since Lea made it clear that he and Xemnas don't get along. There shouldn't be, and Aqua wants to be mature enough to cast them aside.

"I don't have friends from the darkness," she says.

Yet it still bothers her.

Lea looks around the room, from one corner to another, from the carpet to the ceiling. "That doesn't answer my question.

That she's made a friend _in _the darkness.

She holds the Wayfinder close to her heart. "What does Xemnas do?"

"Still on that, huh." Lea scoffs. She's expected him to maybe grunt in shock, or give her a grim response. "You really want to know?"

No.

"I don't know." She blinks several times, like she's just been awakened. "He… he was supposed to find me. He promised he'd get me out."

"Out of the Realm of Darkness?" Lea whistles, crossing his arms over the backrest and resting his chin on his fist. "There's nothing much to tell about Xemnas. It's not a good story, so just drink your tea, it'll make you feel better."

How can it be, she wonders. She remembers the very first time she's ever heard his voice.

Somewhere deep where mirrors talked back and had a mind of their own.

And she had asked:

_"Is this… the last apparition before it takes me over?" _

And he had said:

_"No." _

_"...No?" _

_"You wanted an answer to your question. It is no." _

Since then, whenever she struggled with painful loneliness, he gave her peaceful solitude.

Lea's voice reminds her that she's nowhere deep anymore. "If you want to know what happened to him, you should ask Riku and Sora." Then he laughs, shaking his head with disgust like he's embarrassed he's told a terrible joke. "Nevermind. Don't tell Sora, he'd be pretty upset if he heard."

"Why would-" She takes a sharp inhale. "Why-"

Something about it clicks. If those boys were involved, then Lea is right: it's a truth she'd never want to hear.

But Aqua is sometimes too brave for her own good, even in the face of regret.

Lea looks at her hard. "You should really count your blessings."

He takes too much time to find the right words, and she wants to slap him to get on with it since _what_ _is so difficult about this information?_

After deliberation, he says, "He's Xehanort's Nobody."

It isn't what she expected. It isn't even her worst nightmare, yet Aqua cripples down to the floor, nearly hurling over the carpet, shutting her mouth with her hands. The parade outside sings and dances by itself, a different life altogether than what's living in her own room.

"Hey," Lea objects, his hands up in surrender. "It's not _that _shameful to be a Nobody."

"He isn't."

"Oh, he is." He stands up, coming over her shoulder to make sure she's not losing herself. "Devilishly handsome, stone-faced, cold-hearted, greedy, obnoxious - all the makings of a cockroach."

"How could I have fallen for it?" she snaps, even though she doesn't mean to take it out on Lea.

When she sobers after giving him a cold stare, she understands. It's not just her. Terra fell for it too, right after the most important failure of his life that left him utterly broken-hearted.

Aqua was broken-hearted, as well.

Lea's emerald green eyes spark. He smirks, bending down on his knees to join her. "I see that you're smart enough to know the answer to that question, so I don't have to waste my breath." He takes the mug and cups it. "This is the third damn time I'm telling you to _drink your tea _. Or else I'll hire you a mother."

She is absent-minded when she takes the mug, only aware enough that it doesn't tip over and spill. "Does that make me a terrible Master? That I let him in?"

"Nah." Lea waves his hand over like he's swatting a fly. "If I was alone that much, I wouldn't care either. And that's saying something."

"I really felt like I needed him." She sighs. She's supposed to be smarter than this, to notice when people take advantage of her. And it makes her angry. "When I see him again-"

"Stop right there." He clicks his tongue and waves a finger at her. "There's no need to look for him. You won't get any answers, and it won't make you happy."

Lea then pats her on the shoulder hard enough to knock her off her stupor.

She once told Xemnas how grateful she was for his companionship. Aqua doesn't know whether to grieve over something that never existed, or start a war. "What else is left?" she asks.

"With Xemnas?" He scratches his head, already on his way towards the door. "Nothing. He's Nobody. A blip in a tiny part of your past and not much more."

When he opens her door, Duchess and her kittens are already clawing to come in. "Well, _excuse me _." He lifts one leg let them in, then turns an about-face to bid her good night. "Aqua, for crying out loud, drink it." He shuts it.

Aqua sits on the carpet, Duchess climbing onto her lap. She purrs. It's enough to remind Aqua that she has some cat food stashed away, so she neglects her tea to prepare it for them.

"Terra," she says to his Wayfinder, the last of the cat bowl filled, "I swear I'm going to bring us all back together and keep us protected."

Vulnerable - that's the word she feels strongest, being exposed to Xehanort like that when she thought she was immune to him.

Terra once told her he was stupid many years ago, and now the joke's on her.

The melody from his music box melts away the embarrassment for now.

"I'm so sorry," she says, "for judging you the way I did."

The tea is now lukewarm, but along with the leftover elixir that waits on her bedside table, she expects - she demands of her body - to heal completely by tomorrow.

* * *

Aqua still doesn't feel so well, but she's fine enough. Minor headaches to and fro, some nausea left in the morning, and heaping of grumpiness. She asks Riku and Sora if they're well enough to join her, and they're bored enough to jump the bandwagon as quickly as possible. Good.

After four nights in a row partying, Traverse Town is ready to hunker down and begin rebuilding. The hotel is once again filled with the bustle of workers, and Noctis is always followed by a crowd of people waiting for their assignments, just an ordinary day for him.

Cid of course is always nagging him.

"We got the hospital to clean out in the west," Cid would bark.

"I know, I have it on my list," Noctis would snark back.

"What about the third district?"

"I'm getting on that."

"Sewers are a mess, the Heartless-"

"I know."

"The clock tower needs-"

"I _know _."

"Kid, I don't know what to do with ya!"

Goodbyes are quick. Rydia makes absolutely certain that Aqua promises she'll take care of herself. Originally, Rydia objected to their leave, but compensates by giving them extra elixirs just in case. She inspects their faces to make sure they have proper color, before demanding hugs.

Noctis thanks Sora and Riku specifically for their work in vanquishing Heartless and Nobodies. Maybe one day, he'll be reunited with his friends. That once they're back, he'll take them to see what else is out there, as soon as his work is finished.

Aqua doesn't know what to say to him. Tradition says that reckless travel in between worlds is forbidden. Upsets the balance of the multiverse, brings oblivion and destruction, etc etc.

And yet, Traverse Town is the exact opposite of everything she knows. Aqua wonders if the Master was ever aware of its existence.

Lea pulls her aside for his temporary farewell - he has business to take care of, and his own personal gummi ship sits only one, so there's no use tagging along. But he's still mulish about his belief that Aqua is in need of a loving, doting mother to take care of areas that she's neglecting, and somehow he must deem himself perfect for the role.

His advice: _Mind your vegetables _.

Second, _Drink water _.

He has trouble thinking of a third one, and he settles for _Don't get a concussion _. Aqua doesn't consider this to be something most mothers would say to their children.

Finally, he tells her, _Don't get pregnant _. And that's enough wisdom for the day.

Just like that, he's gone. He moves like he has someplace to go, just like everyone else around here, leaving messes and tripping over them, splitting up until lunch break, telling their wives and children that they'll be back later in the day.

There's just one person who is still.

The rabbit-woman from the other night, sitting on a lounge chair by the wall opposite, fine curtains and exquisite vases notwithstanding.

She watches Aqua diligently like a hunter, with an expression that's hard to describe. Aqua interprets it as condescension. Suspicion, distrust, and there's a sense that this rabbit-woman sees through Aqua, as if reading her insides, her mind, her heart.

The rabbit-woman is scantily dressed, showing more dark skin that anything else, with hair as white as clouds, and it makes Aqua blush.

"Our heroine of fine quality," she hears a voice say behind her. The well-dressed man strides with confidence, rebuttoning his cuffs. He smells like he has just bathed in soap and cologne. This close, the embroidery on his vest looks like it was sewn with gold thread. "That was quite a show you've given us that night."

Aqua is still flustered by the rabbit-woman, and she stammers. This isn't like her. "I- Excuse me, um, who is asking exactly?"

"Balthier," he says like she's supposed to know. "I see Fran has made her acquaintance as well."

Aqua clears her throat.

"Balthier," Garnet calls out, floating over on her dainty feet, with excitement in her voice and a grand smile on her face. It suits her better than despair. "I believe you are intimidating our guest."

"I trust it isn't my disposition." The way he's speaking - he's flirting with her.

Garnet takes a moment to study him. "I imagine pirates have their way."

"Well, I am no ruffian."

"Pirates?" Aqua asks. "You don't strike me as one."

"I'm a _sky _pirate," Balthier says as though he's offended. "I suppose I should have greeted you with an _'Ahoy, matey' _and doubtless you'd be convinced."

"Sky pirates," Aqua whispers. It makes sense. Now she knows where she's seen Fran before - or rather people like Fran. Viera, that's the word to describe their race of people. All the way in the corner of the empty space that splits the worlds apart is a cluster of stars that form their very own galaxy. The Master has theorized it is because the threads that should have cut after the great Keyblade War are still strung together.

Montressor - that's the name of one of the stars there. They have been there before… maybe seventeen years ago by this point? The Master had supervised them on a mission there.

Aqua doesn't say anything about it - it's no good to trust pirates.

"Then where did you learn water magic?" she asks Balthier. "It's rare."

Balthier has a smug look on his face. "I have acquired some runes."

Or stolen them. Either way, it's definitely a lie. He turns over his shoulder to meet with his partner.

"What say you, Fran?" He takes a seat on one of the shorter dressers right by her side. "Where shall the stars take us next?"

Fran takes one more stare at Aqua before replying, "The sun will set." Her accent rolls and purrs, though it's subtle. "And we will meet it."

Balthier has no option but to take what he gets. "Lovely. Carry onward, then."

They move too, in opposite directions as everyone else.

There must be something on Aqua's face, because Garnet reads it and says, "Fran is a special member of our community." It's a wonder how she can trust pirates so easily.

"What does she do?"

"She senses the darkness in others, even in our worlds. That is exactly how they have saved me." Garnet holds a crystal hanging from her neck. "And she has been an asset to us every since."

It's unsettling for Aqua, but she's fine the way she is. Kefka's poison will not turn her into a Heartless.

Without warning, Garnet takes both her hands and holds them in between. "Have no fear. You are quite capable, and stronger than anyone I have ever met."

Aqua hasn't been feeling that way the last couple of days. "Thank you," she says with a smile.

Garnet returns it, a sparkle in her eyes. "He is a treasure, Aqua."

"Uh, who?"

"Terra, of course." Why does everyone have to put her on the spot? "He brought you to us."

There's so much heat in Aqua's cheeks, she's sure she's red in the face. "Ah, thank you." It sounds more like a question that anything else, a slip in the cracks of her otherwise serious demeanor.

"Before I forget." Garnet lets go of her, and searches a knapsack hanging from her shoulder. "Terra purchased this for Ventus."

A fancy silver whistle, adorned with red gemstones. "It is enchanted," Garnet says, "its calls meant only for the one who is needed. Be sure to give it to him?"

"Of course." That is so much like Terra, leaving them random things he feels they need.

At least that's his usual self. It's hard to imagine what he was thinking when he went off on his own and never came back to the Land of Departure. Aqua had suspected he stopped caring about them.

But he never did, and that's the point.

"And be sure to give Leon and Lightning our love," Garnet says. "We owe them our lives for all the help they've granted us."

Not like Aqua knows who they are.

* * *

Riku takes the helm of Sora's gummi ship since his own has been sliced in two by a lunatic clown. He says it's because it's safer if he drives, but Aqua suspects he trusts Sora wholeheartedly, more than he lets on.

He just won't admit he likes to be in control.

The gummi ship is comfortable and large, lights blinking in a language Aqua does not understand. She never imagined that engineers could create technology that allows people to travel between worlds without the guidance of a Keyblade. The Master would surely disapprove of this.

She takes the empty seat behind Sora, and finishes making herself comfortable when Donald walks in. Apparently she has taken his chair, counting on the way he's mumbling and gurgling to himself. With the scratchiness of his voice, it's impossible to tell what he's saying to her.

Sora understands him, giving Aqua a shake of his head as if saying not to worry. Maybe Donald is usually this grumpy. "He said no, again?" he asks Donald.

"He said no again." Donald takes the seat next to Aqua, Goofy trailing closely behind with a pep to his step.

"What's going on?" Riku is busy turning on the engine, but he listens closely.

"Balthier won't take our munny to find a Door to Darkness," Sora says. "Dangerous business, he says, if there's nothing to gain from it or no one to save from a world that's about to fall."

Riku scoffs. "I guess that makes sense? It's funny to see him that concerned."

"Why? He's pretty cool."

"You say that about every pirate."

"He's a pirate that _flies _. That's better than anything."

"How is he able to travel to other worlds?" Aqua asks. "He shouldn't be able to do that in the first place."

Riku grimaces, trapping a laugh. "Sora, you don't know this story."

Sora hops in his seat. "Tell me."

"Mickey and I," Riku starts, and it already catches Donald and Goofy's attention. "Traveled to Montressor… I don't remember why we were there, but Balthier caught us red-handed landing in that world. He chased us using his sky ship, all over the stars of that world. It's humongous."

"Are you serious?" Sora is near laughing, and Donald grunts.

"And he caught us."

"Ha."

"Tied us up, and demanded to know how we even got there.

"Well, obviously you're fine. He's cool, like I said."

"We gave him spare gummi parts, then he let us go. Simple as that."

Sora slaps his knee. "That's awesome."

"Hmph!" Donald nearly slaps his own waist in fury, like scolding them with his hands on his hips won't catch up to how angry he is. "That was dangerous for the King!"

Goofy laughs - it's a hearty one, like there's reason to be happy. "They got out just fine."

Suddenly Donald hangs his head. "We left the King in the Realm of Darkness."

Ooh, sadness on Goofy is enough to make Aqua tear up - he's so animated, so contorted with grief, and he takes his hat off like he's honoring a funeral. "If only his Majesty let us go with him."

Riku is quiet, and Sora sighs.

"It was Mickey's choice," Riku says calmly, "like I've said before. He wields powerful magic, and he has Terra with him."

Goofy keeps quiet.

Donald, however, fires up. "If anything happens to the King, Terra knows what I am capable of."

"Now, now," Goofy says, putting his hat back on and counting on his fingers. "Terra is kind, and generous, and helpful-"

"He's trouble." Donald crosses his arms.

Sora snorts. "Don't worry about them Aqua, they're always like that. Terra is awesome." He spins over his seat to give her a reassuring smile. "Where to first?"

Riku turns over his shoulder, too. "I hope to Master Yen Sid's?" He takes one look at Aqua and gets his answer. "You're going to be as difficult as Terra, aren't you? Fine."

Ven is far more important than anything. There's really nothing she has to say to Yen Sid, and for some reason… she doesn't want anything he has to offer. She's the only one that knows about Ven, so there isn't anything new he could tell her.

"I need to go to the Land of Departure."

Sora and Riku exchange looks. It's clear they've heard of it before. "Terra asked for the same."

Aqua hesitates. "And?"

Riku turns on a device which whirrs and spits and beeps like it's scanning. He gives another look over to Sora, this time more grim.

"The pathway is blocked," he says simply.

"I'm sorry, what are you saying?" Aqua leans over, holding Sora's chair to keep herself steady.

"We can only travel through highways in between worlds. Nothing like what you're able to with your armor and glider," Riku explains with melancholy to his voice. But he wouldn't know either - he'd never be able to comprehend how sick she's getting right now. "Why it's blocked can mean ten different things, but usually we find it in our scanner."

The Land of Departure has changed dramatically, that much is true. Darkness has ruled its skies for years, the castle has been disfigured, so maybe something is off. What if it got worse? What if it was attacked?

… What if it fell?

"Ven is there," she blurts out, shivering. She doesn't mean to say it. He's only safe if she's the only one who knows, but… "I have to get there. I can't leave him behind-"

Sora grabs her wrist. His smile is… angelic almost, like she doesn't have to explain herself.

"Ventus is fine," Sora says, even though he has no way of knowing. "I don't believe that you'd ever be reckless with him, so I know he's okay."

She stirs. There's a warmth in her chest that caresses her stomach. Sora is right. If she listens, her heart knows that Ven is fine. She doesn't know how Sora could feel the same way since they don't know each other, but he has a gift. She's always sensed it.

Riku takes turns glancing at each of them. "What's with you all of a sudden?" he asks Sora.

Sora lets her go and situates back in his seat. "What do you mean?"

Goofy chuckles that warm swelling of his. "Somethin's different about ya."

"What?"

"You're just different around Terra and Aqua," Riku says too quickly. "You're very needy for their attention."

Sora interlaces his fingers behind his head, leaning into his chair. "And you're just jealous."

"Yen Sid's, then?" Riku tries again. He throws another glance at Aqua to test the waters and she sighs.

If she had her own Keyblade, her own armor, she could find the Land of Departure by herself and do what she has to do.

Yet the Master would have respected her for visiting his old friend, and accept the wisdom given. After all, she's a Master too, and she has responsibilities.

Making Ven wait isn't worth any of them, though.

Does she have a choice? In order to get to Ven, she absolutely needs her armor, and can make do with the Master's Defender. Maybe Yen Sid could be useful in giving her direction.

… Aqua still isn't sure she wants to listen to someone who lazily sat with his outdated books while she waited for someone to save her. It's not very noble of him at all.

"Okay then," she says unenthusiastically.

"Finally!" Sora shoots a fist in the air while Riku revs the engine. "I'm ready to go. You know, once we get Terra back, he needs to teach us how to make armor like that. It's the coolest thing."

"Sounds like a great idea," Riku says.

"It is," Aqua says softly. She's wasting time traveling the opposite direction.

Leaving what she really wants behind for yet another day. Traverse Town shrinks as they fly up, and she hopes the next time she comes here, it's prettier.


	6. Chapter 6: Betrayal

**A/N: _Hi! It's been a long, long time, I know. I'm sorry for not updating this more often. My other WIPs take up so so much of my time, and I don't have enough to spare this collection. I'm nervous about continuing this, I mean: it's no longer relevant because of KH3, and sometimes I think the Terqua fandom has died? I'll have to see what people think of it. I know there's readers for this piece and I HEARD YOU. I HEARD YOU. I have the next two chapters lined up already, so we'll see! _**

* * *

Riku shows her to her room: a small thing held together by enormous stones, with a bed at the center, a wobbly nightstand, and a door leading to the bathroom. A thin window sits high on the wall, through which Aqua can see this tiny, dark world that Yen Sid calls home.

In the corner of the bedroom is a dusty outline on the floor where something once stood. A mirror, most likely. She peeks into the bathroom to find that the mirror screwed to the wall above the sink has been removed as well, leaving a rectangle of slime-free tile.

What she appreciates the most is how Riku doesn't make a big show of what he does for her.

"I'll come get you when Yen Sid's ready to see you," Riku says, reaching for the door knob. "Hope it's comfy enough."

Nothing about this trip is comfortable.

The Mysterious Tower is just as she left it: a speck far in the distance, too far for darkness to do any real damage. Protected by a sky of stars and magic that bubbles deep into its earth, this place breathes light. Aqua braces her fingers against the stone wall - instead of something cold built by man, she feels sparks of magic scatter across the surface, from memories of mischief and self-discovery.

She lets go and prepares herself to wash up, maybe find some food in one of the tower's quirky rooms, when Riku knocks on her door.

"That was fast."

Riku looks at her questioning face and shrugs. "I figured… considering how Terra's visit went, we should probably get this over with."

* * *

Yen Sid lounges in his office at the top of the tower. Everything is the same - maybe the notes on his board are different, but the pile of books, most with dust that gathered over years, still sit where they live. The candles burn as though they will never run out of wax. Yen Sid himself doesn't seem to age.

Riku and Sora flank Aqua, and she stares at the tremendous wooden desk in front of her. Twelve years ago, she slammed her hands against it, adamant that Terra would never do anything to hurt the Master. Something in her gut questions whether Yen Sid has even left his damn chair since.

"I am delighted to see you safe, Master Aqua," Yen Sid starts, his voice polite, which is the basic minimum for anything professional: solemn, well-mannered, detached.

Initially, she says nothing in return. Eraqus would not have approved of such rudeness, so she swallows her pride. "Thank you, it is good to see you again, too."

"I assure you will get a decent amount of rest in time." He folds his hand neatly over each other. "For now, we must eagerly discuss the state of affairs."

_Eagerly_, he says, but he talks too slow to understand the meaning of the word.

"Well," Riku starts.

Aqua feels him taking side glances at her but she keeps her mouth in a firm, straight line.

"We lost Terra," he says when she doesn't volunteer, "to the Realm of Darkness."

Yen Sid grumbles, "With the King."

"Yeah." Riku sighs. "I like to think they're taking care of each other."

Yen Sid doesn't seem pleased or agreeable to this. A sick thought crosses Aqua's mind: _He doesn't think Mickey is safe with Terra._ Which isn't fair.

"We must hurry to the King," Yen Sid says, and Aqua's stomach churns that Terra is an afterthought. "Now that we are aware intent to enter the Realm of Darkness is certainly true to statement, we must act swiftly to find another Door to Darkness, as long as we do not _sacrifice_ a world to it.

"Sora," he commands, "have you made arrangements with the sky pirates to do this?"

Sora fiddles with two of his fingers, staring hard at them. They won't give him the courage to speak, so there's no reason to find it there.

"Balthier won't take my munny." He frowns. "He demands more from me if I'm going to waste his time searching for something without any direction."

"What does he call direction?"

"If Fran can track something, then he'll only do it if the plunder's good enough for the job." He shrugs his shoulders and throws his hands in the air.

"Pirates," Riku mutters.

"Balthier saves people, too!"

"When a world is falling. He takes their riches along with their medicine, food, and weapons… but Traverse Town doesn't need that anymore."

Aqua scoffs. Her impatience bubbles, and it takes all her effort to swallow it down.

Sora steps away from her. He's shocked to see her terrible mood.

"We shan't wait too long for a world to deteriorate to that state," Yen Sid says. "Sora, I will pay the pirate more if that is necessary to find an entryway sooner."

Such quick and decisive action for Mickey.

"Now that we have discussed one path forward, let us continue on to other matters." If he hasn't noticed her attitude, he will soon. "Master Aqua, I understand there is trouble getting to Ventus. Anything I can do to aid your efforts?"

_Aid_, he says.

She creases her lips.

"How long have you known?" she asks quietly.

"Pardon?"

"How long has it been since Mickey found me?" She raises her voice.

Sora shifts with a whimper. Riku crosses his arms, not surprised and not even totally into the conversation. Best to get it over with.

Yen Sid takes his time to study her first before he answers: "Two years."

Aqua grips her hands into fists, hiding them neatly in her sashes so that the old man doesn't notice. "Why-"

"Mickey was not yet a Master," Yen Sid says, his brittle voice finding strength. "Sora and Riku were brand new to the Keyblade, and needed friends, guidance, and training. We did not have the power yet to pursue such a dangerous task."

What he said should have insulted her, but strangely, she feels serene, empowered by something knowing, something cynical, something that gloats in how tense he's becoming under her scrutinizing gaze. Yen Sid doesn't deserve anything she has to offer.

"And what did _you_ do all this time?" she asks with bitter sweetness. "Twiddle your thumbs and eat out of your chair?"

Riku rubs his chin. She's impressed with how quiet he could stay in a scene like this. Sora stammers like he's been kissed by a frog.

"Master Aqua…" Yen Sid tries softer this time. "I understand the disappointment. Please, let me offer what I can to help-"

"I don't need your help to find Ven." With that, Aqua gives a mock curtsy before turning on her heels and briskly leaving the room.

Behind her, she hears Riku tell Sora to _Let her go_, each word fading as she runs down the long steps to the bottom.

The audacity of that old, stuffy man.

Aqua is fuming, replaying sentences in her mind again and again: things she could have said to make him really sorry, what he might be saying now to those two young boys. She's descending so fast that her ankle twists, and she grabs the railing to stop herself from toppling all the way down.

It snaps her out of her stupor.

Riku is so well-mannered for his age, not blinking at the signs of her episode; he's someone a good Master ought to behave like. Sora doesn't judge, completely motivated with the need to make everyone comfortable and easy-feeling.

And Aqua embarrassed herself in front of them.

Leaning on the wall behind her, she breathes deeply. The stone is freezing against her skin, too much for her to be at a normal temperature. She palms her forehead to check for a fever; she has none. But her mind is in a hot fury, willing to climb back up and roast Yen Sid with all the insults she still has blurring in her brain - starting with how crusty that beard is.

"You can't just say whatever you want, Aqua," she says out loud, hugging herself. "This isn't like you."

It's unbecoming of a Keyblade Master, is what Eraqus would have said.

Aqua decides to descend the rest of the way slowly. Getting mad won't do anything for Ven, and while she doesn't have a good lead in creating a pathway back home, she'll find a way to do it without giving Yen Sid the honor of listening to his advice. She has to.

The last time she was here, she never got a good chance to explore this world. While the front entrance only leads to an outcrop overlooking deep space, the back entrance leads to a garden, awnings making way over the shrubbery until it circles a pool.

Aqua stiffens. It's not long enough to swim in, so it couldn't be deep enough to get up to her thighs.

But it's big enough to drown in, and that's the worst part.

The water is as still as glass, but it doesn't mean it's peaceful or safe. If she's careful enough, Aqua would be able to see her reflection if she stood over it.

She doesn't dare try. Instead, she sits on a stone bench far enough away that the pool couldn't get to her. There isn't a good reason to sit here, really, except for the fact that she misses the idea of enjoying water: of being at the beach, of swimming against Ven in a race, of splashing it on Terra's face when he isn't looking. Showering in a bathtub doesn't compare… a dark voice in her mind tells her that she'll never experience water the same way anymore.

"Are you Aqua?"

That voice belongs to a girl in a short pink dress, who helps herself to the stone bench even when Aqua doesn't immediately reply.

"I am."

The girl stares up in awe. "_You_ were the one Terra was looking for? Wow, I didn't think you'd be the same person…"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I'm Kairi." She holds her hand to her chest.

Aqua gasps. "Kairi?" It's true. There's the same necklace she charmed years ago, draped around her neck. Aqua almost brushes it with her fingers, but thought better of it. At least it kept Kairi safe. At least this is one success she could account for.

Kairi is so unrecognizable now, but it makes sense: the cropped auburn hair, the round violet eyes, a curious smile. And a heart that is unmistakably brighter than anyone's here.

"You were so little," Aqua says quietly. "I can't believe you remember me."

"Um, not really." Kairi sheepishly rubs the back of her head, then waves her hand in the air as if imagining something. "All I remember is something really tall… and blue."

Aqua has to laugh. Kairi is quite small. Still.

"But when I heard that _Aqua_ was here, I had to see - never in my life would I have made the connection that Blue and Aqua were one in the same." Kairi smirks, leaning forward to study Aqua in the face. "No wonder Terra was so obsessed with finding you. You're really pretty."

"Uh-" Nothing useful comes out of her mouth. That can't be the reason. Aqua hides the heat in her cheeks with one dignified hand as though she isn't affected by it.

"Terra acted the same when he talked about you," Kairi grins, patting Aqua on the knee.

But her excitement deteriorates soon after, her hands finding each other at her stomach as though she's swallowing something rotten. "I heard about what happened to him…" To Aqua's surprise, tears develop in Kairi's eyes, trailing down without much effort on her part to produce them.

They even surprise Kairi. "I'm sorry." She wipes them off her face, sniffling. "I don't know where that came from. I didn't know him long."

Aqua more than understands, she's just much more practiced at roping it in.

"He makes a strong impression on anyone he meets," Aqua says, brushing her hand lightly over Kairi's head.

A small smile curls at Kairi's lips despite the onslaught out of her eyes. Kairi hangs all of her expressions at the edge of her nose. Her sincerity is something to be admired.

"He's a lot kinder than what he gives himself credit for."

"Yes."

"He was really helpful and sweet when he trained me." Reality strikes her, and the tears dry up. "Would you mind teaching me a bit?" Then shame makes its way, as though she asked for too much. "I- I promise I won't take up too much of your time."

A Princess of Heart fighting? A brilliant idea. "Of course, it's not a bother at all."

Kairi takes her inside to a large ballroom equipped with destroyed furniture: hollow sofas, the shells of cupboards, the foundations of bookshelves, dilapidated bedposts. Pots and pans. Chipped plastic. From what Aqua can tell, they were used for target practice.

"Terra was really particular about my posture," Kairi says, summoning her Keyblade - frilly, like the heart of someone who carries the joy of life with her. She sinks low into her knees. "But we focused mostly on my ability to block attacks. The rest is basic stuff."

By the looks of her stance, he's done good work.

"Then let's talk about what you really want out of your fighting ability." Aqua summons the Master's Defender.

Kairi flashes an embarrassed frown. "To catch up with Sora and Riku."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes." Forgetting about her posture, Kairi throws her passion out in a flurry. "It's not about being as good as them - I want to make them see that when they need me, I can be there. They don't have to worry or doubt me for a second."

"That sounds a lot like comparing yourself."

Kairi ponders for a moment. "Sora and Riku are patient with my training, but for years they've left me behind."

Aqua has to think about it before responding… listen to the words Kairi is finding difficulty in expressing. So much of it stems from an insecurity and a drive to level with her more experienced friends, and a needle pricks right into Aqua's ribs when she thinks of how Ven has been treated in the past.

If they never held themselves back when training with Ven, or treated him like a puppy needing to stay home, then he wouldn't be unconscious now.

Sora and Riku work full steam ahead, and Kairi needs to match their speeds without the burden of mastering technique before she's ready. What she wants is to feel useful to them. What she needs is to be equipped with something that could get her out of trouble in a pinch.

Aqua thinks of Noctis, and how he uses his weapons as points of destination.

"I have a unique idea."

Instructing Kairi to stand by the farthest wall, Aqua does the opposite to create the most distance between them.

"From there," Aqua says, "I want you to take a hit on me before I'm able to block - _without_ doing a far-range attack."

Kairi gapes. "H- How am I supposed to do that?"

"You'll adapt to the circumstances." At Kairi's agony, Aqua shrugs. "I'm more strict than Terra. We won't stop until your heart makes the connection."

Kairi shivers and settles herself. "I'll try."

She does a dash - which is the expected choice and Aqua easily blocks it.

"Again," Aqua says. "Use your magic."

Another dash - this time propelled. Blocked.

"Again."

Three more times, all blocked, and by now, Kairi is panting for breath.

"You're exerting too much on your physical body. Remember your magic. Your Keyblade is your heart in physical form: all its desires, life goals, and insecurities are embedded into your weapon. If you want to come at me faster than I can block, then will it."

"Magic," Kairi rasps. "Right."

Now she's getting it. Instead of dashing across the room this time, she blends with the air, teleporting to Aqua's position. But it's still not fast enough.

"On the right track. Try again."

"But Aqua-"

"Your Keyblade needs to get here before you do." Aqua winks.

"Isn't that kind of like a Strike Raid?" An attack that utilizes the Keyblade like a boomerang.

"Not quite."

Kairi is exhausted and probably doesn't have the energy to think too much, but it's necessary to let her heart define it for itself. That's the only way to communicate with your own Keyblade.

But she's the type of student that is eager to please, and as her eyes drift away with her imagination, it dawns on her. "That's genius," she whispers.

With new resolve, Kairi properly stands.

"Let's start for real," Aqua says.

Kairi throws her Keyblade. Aqua feels in the air Kairi's energy not to aim, but to be where the Keyblade goes, and she blurs through the room, letting her heart guide her to where.

She doubts herself, though, and drops her Keyblade halfway across.

"I'll try again!" Scrambling back to her spot across the room, Kairi throws, warping as though both wielder and weapon are chasing each other, knocking past unsuspecting pieces of couch legs.

Aqua cannot block the strike but manages to move - not the most grateful dodge she's ever done, but it does the job even if it lands her flat on her stomach.

"We did it," Kairi says shakily the moment she realizes all she's done without using her feet.

Aqua snorts and picks herself up. "You did it."

"I did it!" With squeals and claps, Kairi jumps in place, throwing an embrace over Aqua's way, triumphantly parading with her Keyblade.

It's worth the effort to see. Aqua has needed something pleasant today, and maybe giving someone else hope will satiate some kind of karmic hunger out there and return the favor.

"No one invited me to the celebration," Sora's voice strides into the room, his giant toothy grin followed by a very solemn Riku.

"You guys will never guess what I can do now," Kairi says. Realizing she sounds like she's preparing a show for them, she backtracks. "I- I'll polish it first, then show you."

"Kairi has a lot of promise," Aqua says, drawing the hilt of her Keyblade in and resting its tip on the floor, standing straighter. Riku's presence, though totally lost in his own head, makes her nervous. She wills the image of her episode away.

"You're not going to show us?" Sora asks, casually standing with them like he's inviting himself over to their inside joke. Aqua wonders if he's ever been rejected before, but Kairi's more than happy to keep a small success to herself.

Riku takes a more respectful distance and sits on a chair with a missing armrest. "Of course she won't. Destiny Islanders have spunk."

"Except Riku," Kairi retorts. "He only knows grouchy."

"Says who?"

"Your face. You look like you spent an hour reading obituaries."

A muscle twitches in Sora's jaw, and he takes himself to Riku's side.

It reminds Aqua all too much of herself and Ven: how she and Terra would share a rare distaste with training when it doesn't go their way, or worries about the future, cutting Ven out of certain bits. Aqua wouldn't count that Ven never noticed.

She hopes that Kairi doesn't take it personally. It never is.

"Sorry," Riku says, willing a more natural smile to come. "I am happy for you. Maybe you'll get to join us on missions next time."

"She already should be," Aqua says.

Kairi sighs in relief. "I'm ready to share the work. What's the plan now? I can handle it."

This is where Riku and Sora stare at Aqua.

"Must have been an interesting meeting," Kairi says, cutting the silence.

"It was the same level of cringe as Terra's," Sora says, snickering. It doesn't improve the atmosphere, so he switches gears. "You can come with us wherever you'd like, Kairi," he offers, like it's supposed to be a consolation but Aqua suspects there are limitations to such a contract. "Except the Realm of Darkness."

"You're going to the Realm of Darkness?"

Again, they glance over at Aqua. Are they expecting her to lead an expedition? To have a differing opinion?

"Is there something you want from me?" Aqua asks when they won't budge.

Sora hangs his head but Riku is the one to speak: "I don't want to bet on a world falling for us to enter. There's no way to predict when it would happen or how long it would take. Estimated guesses are just that, and if we waited a day too long, we could have lost Traverse Town."

"Or not. It could have stood for another week," Sora quips in.

"Exactly. It's a very unstable plan and it could take forever."

When Sora's eyes meet Aqua's, he warms up. Aqua has to wonder how his parents raised him to be this open and loving to everyone he meets.

"How did you do it?" he asks.

Next to her, Kairi tenses. Riku seems unfazed - it was probably _his_ question, but Sora is the better mediator.

It's the worst memory in Aqua's disposal, but the most important. Aqua has to be professional, cast away the way her heart rages at the thought.

"A world didn't fall, if that's what you're really asking," she starts. "I was fighting… Xehanort, and he…struck himself with his Keyblade. To the heart."

Sora steps back, a giggle worming its way out. "That's an intense experience."

Riku scoffs, amused. "It makes sense now."

"And out came a horned monster," Aqua continues. "You could say it resembles a Heartless, large and angry. Its teeth were bound by bindings… or bandages. It had an empty hole in its chest-"

She stops. The looks she's getting - they recognize it.

Sora turns to Riku, his eyes wide. "Is she talking about-?"

Riku faces him. "Ansem's Guardian?"

At Aqua's stunned expression, Sora waves her confusion away. "No, no, not the Ansem _you_ know. That's the _real_ Ansem. There's a _fake_ Ansem, and he's the one who controls the Guardian."

That doesn't clear anything up.

Riku holds his hand up. "What matters is what happened when the Guardian appeared."

"Well, he commanded it to come after me," Aqua says.

"As he does." Riku shrugs.

"But when I defeated him, it fell into a black pit. It was the force that created the Door to Darkness, and…"

Terra fell.

"I went after him."

The room buckles under the weight of her words, a little too quiet for her liking but it's better than anyone apologizing to her. Kairi holds a hand to Aqua's shoulder, but it doesn't help much.

"Maybe that's the answer," Sora says slowly. "It probably created a force of darkness so strong, it just warped reality."

Kairi glares at him as though he's said the wrong thing.

But Riku nods like he's reading the same mind. "We could sacrifice it. Not a bad idea."

"It sounds like you're talking about hunting him down," Kairi says. "Isn't that a little risky, trying to draw out his attention?"

"Yeah, but it's nothing I can't handle." The way Riku says it leaves everyone else out of the equation.

"_If_ you can find him."

Aqua has to ask: "Is that difficult?"

Riku strains a smile; he's remembering something unpleasant, something he still hasn't made peace with. "Not really. But admittedly he is more trouble than he's worth."

Aqua bites her cheek. Everyone makes it sound like rescuing Terra is the biggest hassle.

"Then I'll do it."

Sora grimaces, and Riku waves his hands in surrender. "That's not what I meant. Not at all. But I do think that getting to Ventus may be an easier goal to reach right now. Once we have greater numbers, and we don't have our attention scattered as much, provoking Ansem shouldn't be an issue. We can do it together."

Aqua stops herself from drawing a long scoff, holding her hand to her hip to prevent herself from flailing it around in frustration. Professional is the key word here.

"Except I don't really know where to begin," Aqua says quietly. "I know where Ven is, but I don't have a way of getting to him without my Keyblade."

"Oh that's easy!" Sora says. "Terra had it with him."

"What?"

"He carried it around at Destiny Islands, when he was with us," Kairi says.

"But I don't recall seeing him with it in Traverse Town," Riku says. "It's possible he put it away somewhere."

The question hangs over their heads.

Riku inhales as he thinks about a place to start. "He spent the majority of his time in Radiant Garden."

Right where she broke her tether to it. It's a possibility that Terra took it back there. Not likely, but plausible.

"We should go tomorrow, first thing," Sora says, slamming a fist into his palm. "There's got to be a trail of clues we could follow. Maybe Terra left a sign saying _Here's her Keyblade_." He motions with his hand, bracketing invisible words in the air.

"If there's nowhere else…" Aqua hushes.

"If not there," Riku says, "then we'll go back to Traverse Town and search his room. If it's not there either, we'll think of something. I can't imagine that he'd leave you hanging."

He'd never; Terra has always been the worst at hiding anyway. As children, he'd giggle too loudly that playing hide and seek with him was always futile. As teens, he never withstood the feeling of being lonely for too long, so if he needed time to himself, he'd leave notes with suggestions of when he's ready for company.

Hiding a Keyblade to protect it is something he wouldn't commit recklessly, but just like she was able to track him down a long journey through multiple worlds when he disappeared, he'd leave the smallest crumbs.

"Then it's a solid plan," Kairi says, stepping her foot down. "I'm coming with."

They're much more optimistic about it than Aqua is (honestly, it sounds like they're leading themselves blind).

Either way, she bids them sweet dreams, a knife forged of the worst anticipation gutting at her. Maybe her mood will improve in the morning.

When she leaves the ballroom, the knife twisting at her side digs deeper the moment she overhears Riku saying over the other side of the door: "That was _something_."

Aqua peeks through the crack. Riku has lost his composure he had in her presence, slouching over and smothering his face in his palm. Sora looks tired, his usual joy giving way to reflection.

Kairi shifts uncomfortably. "She's been through a lot."

"She's like a boiling teapot about to explode."

"Except teapots don't explode."

"But you'd rather have your hand cut off than have it melt from the steam."

"Come on," Sora says, "this won't be the same situation as it was with Terra… At least, I hope not."

Riku throws Sora a hard glance. "I'm only saying that something's not entirely right. I can't tell how she's going to react to things. Sometimes, I get the impression that I'm not talking to the same person."

Silence.

"Honestly, I've felt the same," Sora murmurs, "but I can't blame her."

"No one is."

Kairi starts sniffling, bringing her wrist to wipe her face.

Sora asks, "Why are you crying?"

"I don't know. Isn't that weird?"

Next, Sora's the one to shed a tear. "I guess I don't know either."

Riku looks at his friends not with concern, but with horror. He sighs into his hand, rubs his face, and thinks better than to let them cry alone. Joining them, he pulls them both into an embrace, roughing their hair enough to leave frizz.

"Knock it off, you two."

He ignores their protests, squeezing them in his elbows. Sora can't wrestle his way out, so he says to Kairi, "He's still ticklish in the same spots."

The last sight Aqua sees is a heap of three best friends on the floor, the tallest one begging the others to stop.

* * *

Aqua treks back to her room with ferocity. They think she's crazy. Maybe she is. Maybe she's lost a part of herself to the Realm of Darkness forever, chewed up and spit out in a lumpy blob that she can't bring herself to swallow.

That thought should terrify her, but it doesn't. Aqua's more concerned with how hopeless she let them feel. What's the point of being a Keyblade Master if she can't inspire those around her? Or make them feel protected and listened to? She doesn't know how to make it up to them.

She should apologize - and yet, there's a small voice inside that loathes to do so. It's not her fault for acting up; she's earned the right. They'll be patient with her and see she's not all bad.

Or maybe she's just as bad as they say. The moment she sees Yen Sid standing in her way will test that.

"Master Aqua," he calls, his pointy hat looking all the longer because of the way the torches that line the stone walls illuminate it.

She wants to ignore him. She doesn't - wouldn't Eraqus be proud? She waits for him to continue, hands laced in front of her, posture straight, expression neutral. Professional.

"I had hoped," he starts, then stops himself. Ah, so he knows there's nothing he could say that would be a proper apology to what happened. "I completely understand where you are coming from."

Aqua doesn't respond.

"I mean to ask forgiveness."

Silence.

"Cast away this unpleasant business between us. I have no expectation that you'd lend a hand of friendship towards me, but we can still benefit from an alliance." He extends his hand out, not as a gesture to hold hers, but as a symbol.

She could forgive him, and she would have before falling to darkness, before Eraqus had ever sent them on an insane journey without giving them any of the crucial details, before hearing anything insulting about Terra. She could have.

"I'll consider it when I have the time," she says, her voice flat but strong.

Yen Sid draws his hand back. There's a slight offense to his eyes before he wavers it away.

"This road you have chosen to follow may be dangerous."

"Excuse me?"

"Following Terra."

"I'm so tired of defending Terra," she spits.

"You have mistaken me," Yen Sid says. The quality of his voice dips deep, like a growl. "Just as I have warned Terra about his limitations when it came to you, I sense the same desperate recklessness within you."

"His life is worthy enough to save."

"So is yours." He stares at her, a hand teasing the length of his beard. "Will you not trust him to fend for himself in the darkness?"

Her lips quiver and she zips them up. Professional. "Won't you?"

Yen Sid sighs, disappointed. "I hope our next meeting is more amicable. Please look out for yourself, Master Aqua."

"Likewise."

She storms into her room and slams the door. She's burning up, the heat from her body creating perspiration that denses through her hair, but not enough to let the sweat fall. No, she doesn't have a fever.

There's nothing here for her to throw around, so she paces back and forth. Back and forth, again and again, until one last huff expires out of her.

"Terra," she calls out softly as though he is right by her side. Who knows, maybe he can hear her from somewhere deep in the darkness if she focuses enough.

Pulling out his orange Wayfinder, Aqua massages her fingers over the borders. Maybe her magic on it would have worked better if she had his essence embedded into the glass, instead of her intention to keep him close by.

When she made it, she never once thought that the sight of it would bring regret.

"I'm so angry," she says to it, shaking her leg. She's exhausted, but nowhere near the fits of depletion from earlier nights that easily pulled her under. She'd be an idiot to expect sleep to come any time soon. "_None_ of them understand."

Except they do; they have been separated before, forgotten, then weaved back together.

Yet they don't; they never had to pay such an expensive price such as twelve years.

"Please come back," she whispers. She could cry, but she's all dried up. Begging only makes her feel worse.

"I'll bring you back," she demands of the quiet when nothing responds to her.

She could scream, but she doesn't. She's a knot of weeded thorns, something that yearns to slice to numb the pain and grow out to breathe, choking at the same time.

The bed creaks and moans under her weight, but it's not comfortable. The sheets are cold. The stone walls are apathetic to her mood, gray and bored.

Aqua holds the Wayfinder close, but it does nothing to soothe her. She opts to stare at the ceiling in a contest she can't win.

* * *

_Her hair reached her ribcage in tousled waves that coiled at the tips. Ven called it a flag of water that rippled whenever she moved, but it rippled too much; she certainly resented it when it whipped her in the face during training._

_Her mother would have called it stunning, just like hers. _

_A sepia-toned portrait sat on Aqua's vanity table of a woman with the same hair and a man with a thick handle-bar moustache, wearing a bowler's hat. _

_"I'm sorry, mama," sixteen-year-old Aqua said, scissors in hand, mirror smudge-free, hair ready to be tamed._

_The first snip came at the point right above her ear, and Aqua winced from watching it all fall to the ground. A panic shot through her, and she wondered if there was magic to reverse the damage just in case. But Aqua was brave and Aqua was relentless._

_Cutting the rest of her hair came easier, a waterfall having its last hurrah. She went shorter, and then much more. She might have done too much, but keeping it layered should justify the work. Now it was a pixie cut: clean, prissy, and above all, out of her face._

_Aqua presented herself during breakfast. Ven still wasn't up and the Master was busy in his office, so Terra, who sat at the table with a mug of coffee, was the first to see. _

_The mug stopped before it reached his lips while he gaped. She sat in front of him. He didn't say a word. _

_Suddenly, she regretted it._

_"It was always getting in the way," she said, surprised by how assured she sounded._

_He blinked. "It's cute."_

_"It's what?" Warriors were supposed to be practical. Not cute. Never cute, damn it all._

_"Nothing. I didn't actually say anything." He sipped his coffee, avoiding her gaze. If he caught it, she'd have words to throw at him. _

_She still did. "I'll dump that coffee on you the next time I hear you say that."_

_Terra stole glances at her, mainly toward the top of her head, and his eyes almost sparkled. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself. "It is pretty, though."_

_… What was she supposed to say to that? All she had was vacant stammering._

_"Well, you know," he set back, "I don't want you to feel bad about it."_

_Part of her wanted to kill him. Part of her wanted to find the spell to make it grow._

_He blundered for more words, set his coffee mug down, and pressed his index finger onto the surface of the table to make a poignant argument. "I didn't mean it like that."_

_She grimaced. "I'm not going to play nice with you during training today."_

_"I probably deserve it," he chuckled._

_"You definitely deserve it."_

_He smiled, and stared more at her hair. Not with disgust, not with shock, but with admiration. _

_It hit her then - he meant what he said. Which left one question to nag at her for the rest of breakfast:_

_She was pretty to him?_


End file.
